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Draußen Nacht und dichte Flocken, Endlos fällt der kalte Schnee; In der Stube nur Frohlocken, Frühlingslust statt Winterweh. Kätzchen spielen, [Miesekätzchen]1, Surrend, schnurrend, lieb und traut, Mit den sammetweichen Tätzchen Eines nach dem and'ren haut. Und wie'n Kätzchen lieb und traulich Schmiegt sich's liebe Kindlein an, Lauscht der Ahne auferbaulich, Selig in der Märchen Bann. Märchen schaurig, Märchen graulich, Weiß die Ahne, Märchen hold; In die Seele auferbaulich Birgt die Kleine lichtes Gold. Könnt' ich doch wie ehemals lauschen Märchenzauber wieder seh'n, O wie gerne möcht' ich tauschen! Doch die kalten Flocken weh'n. Draußen Nacht und dichte Flocken, Endlos fällt der kalte Schnee; In der Stube nur Frohlocken, Frühlingslust trotz Winterweh.
Confirmed with Franz Alfred Muth, Waldblumen, Dritte, durchaus ausgewählte und reich vermehrte Auflage, Paderborn: Druck und Verlag von Ferdinand Schöningh, 1885, page 77.
1 Rheinberger: "Miezekätzchen"Text Authorship:
- by Franz Alfred Muth (1839 - 1890), "Märchenzauber", appears in Waldblumen, in 2. Herzensklänge und Lebensstimmen [3rd edition] [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 Joseph (Gabriel) Rheinberger (1839 - 1901), "Märchenzauber", op. 131 (Sechs Gesänge für vier Frauenstimmen (oder Chor)) no. 5 (1882), published 1883 [ SSAA chorus ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Corien Sleeswijk) , "Betoverende sprookjes", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Fairy-tale magic", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-10-27
Line count: 24
Word count: 114
Outdoors, night and a thick curtain of snowflakes, The cold snow falls without end; In the parlour there is only merriment, The joy of spring instead of winter woe. Kittens play, sweet little kittens, Whirring, purring, dear and cosy, With velvet-soft little paws One bats at the other. And like a kitten dear and cosy The dear child snuggles up, Listens uplifted to grandmother, Blissful in the enchantment of fairy-tales. Eerie fairy-tales, frightening fairy-tales Grandmother knows, lovely fairy-tales; Uplifted, the little one hides Bright gold in her soul. Could I but listen and once more see Fairy-tale magic as I did back then, Oh how gladly would I exchange [this time for that]! But the cold snowflakes blow. Outdoors, night and a thick curtain of snowflakes, The cold snow falls without end; In the parlour there is only merriment, The joy of spring instead of winter woe.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Franz Alfred Muth (1839 - 1890), "Märchenzauber", appears in Waldblumen, in 2. Herzensklänge und Lebensstimmen [3rd edition]
This text was added to the website: 2020-12-31
Line count: 24
Word count: 148