May song | Pick roses in order to beautifully

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by Elisabeth Kulmann (1808 - 1825)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Mailied

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

  Pflücket Rosen, um das Haar
Schön damit zu kränzen,
Reihe dich, o junge Schar,
Dann zu frohen Tänzen!

  Nehmt die Leier von der Wand
Kränzet sie und gebet
Sie dem Sänger in die Hand,
Der sie uns belebet.

  Freuet euch, so lang der Mai
Und der Sommer währet;
Nur zu bald sind sie vorbei,
Und der Winter kehret.

  Lange müsst ihr dann auf's neu
Bei der Lampe sitzen,
Und bei ew'gem Einerlei
Saurer Arbeit schwitzen.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. Schumann

R. Schumann sets stanzas 1, 3-4, 1

Confirmed with Sämmtliche Dichtungen von Elisabeth Kulmann, herausgegeben von Karl Friedrich von Großheinrich, Achte, vermehrte Auflage, Frankfurt am Main: Druck und Verlag von H.L. Brönner, 1857, page 8.

Text Authorship:

by Elisabeth Kulmann (1808 - 1825), "Mailied", appears in Gemäldesammlung in vierundzwanzig Sälen, in 1. Erster Saal, no. 9 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Mailied", op. 103 no. 1 (1851), published 1851, stanzas 1,3-4,1 [ duet for 2 sopranos and piano ], from Mädchenlieder (Kulmann Lieder), no. 1, Leipzig, Kistner
Score: IMSLP [external link] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cançó de maig", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Meilied", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "May song", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant de mai", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website: 2007-01-23
Line count: 16
Word count: 76

May song

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Add this translation to the Basket | Add tr by R. Schumann

  Pick roses in order to beautifully
Wreath your hair therewith,
Then arrange yourself, oh youthful folk,
Into joyous dances.

  Take the lyre from the wall
Place a wreath on it and give it
Into the hand of the singer,
Who shall bring it to life for us.

  Be happy as long as May
And summer last;
They shall be gone only too soon
And then winter comes.

  For a long time then
You must sit anew by the lamp,
And sweat over the eternal monotony
Of weary tasks.

Available sung text translations: ← What is this?

• R. Schumann

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2010 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 Elisabeth Kulmann (1808 - 1825), "Mailied", appears in Gemäldesammlung in vierundzwanzig Sälen, in 1. Erster Saal, no. 9
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2010-06-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 89