O meine müden Füße, ihr müßt tanzen
In bunten Schuhen,
Und möchtet lieber [tief, tief]1
Im Boden ruhen.

O meine heißen Wangen, ihr müßt [glühen]2
[Im wilden]3 Kosen,
Und möchtet lieber [blühen]4
Zwei weiße Rosen.

O meine armen Augen, ihr müßt blitzen
Im Strahl der Kerzen,
Und [lieber schlieft ihr aus im Dunkeln]5
Von euren Schmerzen.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Berger, Frank: "tief"
² Berger: "glüh'n"
³ Berger: "In wildem"
⁴ Berger, Frank: "blüh'n"
⁵ Berger, Frank: "schlieft im Dunkel lieber aus"

Text Authorship:

• by Georg Büchner (1813 - 1837), no title, appears in Leonce und Lena [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 Wilhelm Reinhard Berger (1861 - 1911), "O, meine müden Füsse", op. 24 (Neun Lieder und Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1887 [ voice and piano ], Bremen, Praeger & Meier [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Ernst Frank (1847 - 1889), "Lied der Rosetta", op. 18 (Drei Lieder für Alt mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1883 [ alto and piano ], Hannover, Nagel [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Robert Hanf (1894 - 1944), "Rosetta tanzt und singt:" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Leopold) Heinrich (Picot de Peccaduc), Freiherr von Herzogenberg (1843 - 1900), "Die Tänzerin", op. 47 (Drei Romanzen für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1885 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ferdinand von Hiller (1811 - 1885), "Spiel auf, Zigeunerin!", subtitle: "Zigeunerisch", op. 138 (8 Gesänge), Heft 2 no. 5, published 1870 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig: Robert Seitz [sung text not yet checked]
• by James Rothstein (b. 1871), "Rosetta's Lied", op. 51 (Fünf Lieder (im Volkston) für eine mittlere Singstimme mit Pianoforte ) no. 1, published 1901 [ medium voice and piano ], Magdeburg, Heinrichshofen's Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ernst (Friedrich Karl) Rudorff (1840 - 1916), "O meine müden Füsse", op. 32 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1885 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858 - 1944), "Tanzlied", op. 4 ([Fünf] Lieder für 1 mittlere Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1 (1877), published 1886 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Peters [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Isidora Žebeljan.
  • Go to the text.
    

Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2008-06-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 61

My poor tired feet, you have to dance
In shoes so gay,
And yet you'd sooner rest deep, deep
Beneath the clay...

My poor, hot cheeks, you have to flare
With passion's might
For all the pallor you would sooner wear
Of roses white

My poor, poor eyes, you have to sparkle
In the candles' light,
And yet to flee your pain you'd sooner sleep
In darkest night.