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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

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by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Im wunderschönen Monat Mai
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, 
Da wird auch mir ein Knösplein prangen!
Mit [glitzeblauen]1 Äugelein!
Mit rosenrothen Wangen!
Das Knösplein ist mein Eigenthum --
Gott möge es behüten!
Es wird in unserm Garten fein,
Die Schönste aller Blüthen!
Ein Brüderchen, ein Schwesterlein!
[Sagt]2 Dicky klein, soll bei mir sein!
Sonst bin ich armer Junge fein
Auf dieser ganzen Welt allein!
Drum lieber, guter, schöner Mai!
Wo alle lieben Vöglein singen!
Wirst du auch mir, was es auch sei
Mein liebes Maienglöckchen bringen!

Im Mai will ich im Garten steh'n
Und warten bis der Storch wacht auf!
Und will zu ihm dann selber gehn,
Hol' mir ein Schwesterlein herauf!
Dann will ich's schmeicheln [hübsch]3 und fein --
Daß es nicht schreit, daß es nicht weint!
Und immer [soll es]4 lustig sein,
Wenn auch es ist noch [glitzeklein]5!
Und wird es [gleich schon]6 sprechen auch?
Wie es im Leben ist der Brauch?
[Es muß gleich]7 singen lernen "Au"
Und ich [will lernen ihm das]8 "Grau."
Drum lieber, guter, schöner Mai!
Wo alle lieben Vöglein singen!
Wirst du auch mir, was es auch sei
Mein liebes Maienglöckchen bringen!

[Wie]9 singt es bald im Morgenthau,
Wenn auch die Nebel noch sind grau!
[Der Himmel über uns wird blau,]10
Wenn Beide laut wir schreien "Grau!"
[Klein]11 Mietzgen soll es heißen!
Und niemals will ich's beißen!
Ist's schlank wie eine Biene,
Heiß ich's am Ende noch "Galine"!
Er weiß jetzt schon für Alles Rath!
Wenn er [sein]12 Schwesterlein erst hat!
Drum lieber, guter, schöner Mai!
Wo alle lieben Vöglein singen!
Wirst du auch mir, was es auch sei
Mein liebes Maienglöckchen bringen!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Lang (V1): "klizteblauen"
2 Lang (V1): "Ruft"
3 Lang (V1): "gar hübsch"
4 Lang (V1): "soll's nur"
5 Lang (V1): "klizte klein"
6 Lang (V1): "dann wohl"
7 Lang (V1): "Dann muß es lernen"
8 Lang (V1): "lernt' ihm zu sprechen"
9 Lang (V1): "Dann"
10 Lang (V1): "Und über uns wird's himmelblau!"
11 Lang (V1): "Nur"
12 Lang (V1 both times, V3 only when the text is repeated): "klein"

Text Authorship:

  • by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Des "kleinen Dicki" erster Frühlingstraum", alternate title: "Des klitzekleinen Dicky's erster Traum", 1872 [ voice and piano ], unpublished  [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2023-03-27
Line count: 46
Word count: 275

In the beautiful month of May
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
In the beautiful month of May,
For me, too, a little bud shall appear, resplendent!
With shining blue eyes!
And rose-red cheeks!
The little bud is my very own --
May God protect it!
In our garden it shall indeed be
The most beautiful of all blossoms!
A little brother, a little sister!
[Says little Dicky]1, shall be here with me!
Otherwise I, a poor little boy, would
Indeed be all alone in the whole wide world.
So, dear, good, beautiful May!
When all the dear little birds are singing!
You shall bring me, whatever it may be,
My dear little bell of May!

In May I shall stand in the garden
And wait until the stork wakes up!
And then I shall go to him myself
And get myself a little sister!
Then I shall be very affectionate to her
So that she doesn't scream, doesn't cry!
And she is to be [always]2 merry
Even if she is still so teeny!
And shall she [soon]3 learn to speak?
As is the custom in life?
[She must immediately] learn to sing "Au"
And I shall teach her [the]4 "Grau."
So, dear, good, beautiful May!
When all the dear little birds are singing!
You shall bring me, whatever it may be,
My dear little bell of May!

[How]6 she shall soon sing in the morning dew,
Even if the mists are still so grey!
[The sky above us shall become blue,]7
When we both shout loudly: "Grau!"
Her name is to be [little]8 Kitten.
And I shall never bite her!
If she is as slender as a bee,
In the end I shall call her "Galine"!
He [Dicky] already has an answer for everything!
When once he has his little sister!
So, dear, good, beautiful May!
When all the dear little birds are singing!
You shall bring me, whatever it may be,
My dear little bell of May!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Translations of title(s):
"Des "kleinen Dicki" erster Frühlingstraum" = "Little Dicki's" first dream of springtime"
"Des klitzekleinen Dicky's erster Traum" = "Itty-bitty Dicky's first dream"

Translator's note: the German word "Maiglöckchen" can also mean "lily of the valley"; it is, however, translated as "bell of May" above.

1 Lang (V1): "Little Dicky calls out"
2 Lang (V1): "nothing but"
3 Lang (V1): "then"
4 Lang (V1): "Then she must"
5 Lang (V1): "to say"
6 Lang (V1): "Then"
7 Lang (V1): "And above us it shall become heavenly blue!"
8 Lang (V1): " only"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880)
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2023-03-27
Line count: 46
Word count: 324

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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