by Rudolph Baumbach (1840 - 1905)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Der Friedel und die Nachtigall
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
  Der Friedel zählte Zwanzig kaum, 
War frisch und jugendfroh, 
Und schlug die Nachtigall im Baum, 
Dann sprach der Friedel so: 
"Flieg' auf, flieg' auf Frau Nachtigall 
Und grüsse mein Lieb viel tausendmal!"

  Der Friedel von der Freude schied, 
Sein Herz war sterbenswund, 
Und sang die Nachtigall ihr Lied, 
So sprach sein bleicher Mund: 
"O Nachtigall sei still, sei still! 
Mein armes Herze brechen will."

  Jetzt hat er Runzeln überall, 
Sein Lockenhaar verblich, 
Und hört er eine Nachtigall, 
Dann denkt er so bei sich : 
"Die Nachtigall ein Vogel ist, 
Der fleissig singt und Würmer frisst."

Confirmed with Rudolf Baumbach, Krug und Tintenfass, Zweites Tausend, Leipzig: Verlag von A.G. Liebeskind, 1887, page 3.


Text Authorship:

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

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Friedel and the Nightingale", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-08-23
Line count: 18
Word count: 95

Friedel and the Nightingale
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
  Friedel barely numbered twenty,
He was brisk and rejoiced in his youth,
And when the nightingale jugged in the tree,
Then Friedel spoke thus:
"Fly off, fly off, Madame Nightingale
And greet my beloved many thousand times!"

  Friedel took leave of joy,
His heart was wounded unto death,
And when the nightingale sang its song,
His pale lips spoke:
"Oh nightingale, be still, be still!
My poor heart shall break."

  Now he is covered in wrinkles,
His curly hair has faded,
And when he hears a nightingale
He thinks to himself thus:
"The nightingale is a bird
That sings diligently and eats worms."

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.
    Contact: 

Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2020-08-23
Line count: 18
Word count: 104