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Frau Schwalbe ist 'ne Schwätzerin,
Sie schwatzt den ganzen Tag,
[Sie]1 plaudert mit der Nachbarin,
So viel sie plaudern mag;
Das zwitschert, -- das zwatschert
Den lieben [langen]2 Tag!
Sie schwatzt von ihren Eiern viel,
Von ihren Kindern klein,
Und wenn sie Niemand hören will,
Schwatzt sie für sich allein.
Das zwitschert, -- das zwatschert
Und kann nicht stille sein!
Hält sie im Herbst Gesellschaft gar
Auf jenem Dache dort,--
So schwatzen die Frau Schwalben all
Erst recht in einem fort;
Das zwitschert, -- das zwatschert
Und man versteht kein Wort!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Kinder-Lieder von G. Ch. Dieffenbach, Mainz: Verlag von C.G. Kunze, 1854, page 31
1 Humperdinck: "Die"2 Humperdinck: "ganzen"
Text Authorship:
- by Georg Christian Dieffenbach (1822 - 1901), "Frau Schwalbe", appears in Kinder-Lieder, in 2. Lieder und Bilder aus der Natur, no. 37 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Frau Schwalbe", op. 517 ([Acht] Kinderlieder mit leichter Pianofortebegleitung) no. 6, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Forberg [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Heinrich Graben-Hoffmann (1820 - 1900), "Frau Schwalbe", op. 107 no. 31, published c1883 [ voice and piano ], from Frühlingsstimmen: Neue Liederspende für die Jugend, no. 31, Dresden: L. Hoffarth [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Engelbert Humperdinck (1854 - 1921), "Die Schwalbe" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl August Kern (1836 - 1897), "Frau Schwalbe", op. 36 no. 2, published 1877 [ vocal duet with piano ], from 60 Kinderlieder von G. Chr. Dieffenbach für 2 Singstimme mit leichter Pianofortebegleitung, no. 2, Mainz, Kunze's Nachf. [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Karl Gottfried) Wilhelm Taubert (1811 - 1891), "Frau Schwalbe", op. 124 no. 9, published 1860 [ voice and piano ], from Klänge aus der Kinderwelt, Heft VII, no. 9, Berlin, Bahn [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "The swallow", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-03-11
Line count: 18
Word count: 90
Mrs Swallow is a chatterer; she chats the whole day. She gossips with the neighbours for as long as she possibly can. She twitters and chatters the whole blessed day. She twitters and chatters the whole blessed day. She talks about how many eggs she has and about her little kids, and if nobody wants to listen she talks to herself. She twitters and chatters and can't keep quiet. She twitters and chatters and can't keep quiet. If in spring they have a get-together over on that roof all the swallow wives chatter away and nothing will stop them. They twitter and chatter and you can't understand a word. They twitter and chatter and you can't understand a word.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 by Malcolm Wren, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Georg Christian Dieffenbach (1822 - 1901), "Frau Schwalbe", appears in Kinder-Lieder, in 2. Lieder und Bilder aus der Natur, no. 37
This text was added to the website: 2008-03-11
Line count: 24
Word count: 119