With Granny | Dear Granny in the garden sits

Translation Singable translation by John Bernhoff (flourished 1890-1912)

Grossmütterchen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Grossmütterchen im Garten sitzt,
  wie es ihr alter Brauch.
Ihr Plätzchen vor der Sonne schütz
  ein hoher Fliederstrauch.

Es schmiegen an ihr Kleid die Wang'
  die Enkelein, die zwei;
dass Grossmutter die Zeit nicht lang,
  erzähl'n sie vierlerlei.

Das Bübchen spricht voll Stolz zu ihr:
  "Grossmutter, hör' einmal!
Bin ich erst gross, geh' ich von dir,
  und werde Feldmarschall!"

Schwesterchen lauscht des Bruders Wort:
  "Ich," ruft sie, "weiss genau;
bin ich erst gross, holt mich sofort
  der Prinz als seine Frau!"

Und leise spricht Grossmütterlein:
  "Lernt erst des Lebens Plag'.
Und auch genüg' zum Glücklichsein
  ein schöner Sommertag."

Text Authorship:

by Louis Zacharias [author's text not yet checked 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 Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867 - 1944), "Grossmütterchen", op. 73 (Two Songs) no. 1, published 1914, also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, a translation by John Bernhoff (flourished 1890-1912) ; composed by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-03-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 98

With Granny

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Dear Granny in the garden sits
  Where she is wont to be,
Safe sheltered from the noonday heat
  Beneath a lilac-tree.

Two little children sport and play
  Amid the flowers of spring,
To help her while the time away
  They prattle, laugh and sing.

Her grandson says in boyish pride,
  "Someday, by and by,
I'll mount my horse, then off I'll ride,
  The king's Fieldmarshal I!"

Sister says, with lisping tongue,
  Rising from Granny's side,
"When I'm grown up I'll be a young
  And handsome Prince's bride!"

Said Granny then, with gentle voice,
  "First learn Life's cruel way,
And bid your brave young hearts rejoice
  In ev'ry summer-day."

Text Authorship:

Singable translation by John Bernhoff (flourished 1890-1912) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Louis Zacharias
- Go to the text page.

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

by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867 - 1944), "With Granny", op. 73 (Two Songs) no. 1, published 1914, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-03-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 108