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Meine weise Mutter spricht: Küssen, Küssen, Kind! ist Sünde! Und ich armer Sünder finde, [Doch]1 das Ding so böse nicht. Mord und Diebstahl, weiß ich wohl, Ist ein schreckliches Vergehen Aber, trotz, den will ich sehen, Der mir das beweisen soll. Meine Küsse stehl' ich nicht: Doris gibt von freien Stücken, Und ich seh's an ihren Blicken, Daß ihr wenig Leid geschicht. Oft begiebt es sich, daß wir Uns, vor Lust, die Lippen beißen: Aber soll das Morden heißen? Gott bewahre mich dafür! Mutter! Mutter! Schmäherei! Sünd' ist Küssen? Ist es eine; Nun, ich armer Sünder meine, Daß sie nicht zu lassen sei!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesConfirmed with Berlinisches Litterarisches Wochenblatt. Erster Band, vom Jahr 1776. Berlin und Leipzig, bei Fridrich Wilhelm Birnstiel, pages 29-30 (No.2. Berlin, den 13. Januar 1776.)
1 Beethoven: "Daß"Text Authorship:
- by Klamer Eberhard Karl Schmidt (1746 - 1824), "Prüfung des Küssens" [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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Die Prüfung des Küssens", WoO. 89 (1791-2) [ bass and piano ], aria [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791), "Prüfung des Küssens", lost [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (George Chaldezos) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: George Chaldezos , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-23
Line count: 20
Word count: 104
As my wise mother says, "Kissing, kissing, child is a sin!" And I, poor sinner, think that the thing is not so bad. Murder or theft, I know full well is a terrible crime. But nonetheless I want to see him, who could prove that thing to me. My kisses I do not steal, Doris gives them freely, and I can see in her eyes, it's little that she suffers. Often it can happen that we bite the lips in pleasure but does that mean murder? God forbid that! Mother, mother, what a disgrace! Kissing is a sin? Is it really? Well, I poor sinner, think It cannot be laid aside. Yes, I mean it: kissing cannot be laid aside!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to English copyright © 2010 by George Chaldezos, (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 English by Klamer Eberhard Karl Schmidt (1746 - 1824), "Prüfung des Küssens"
This text was added to the website: 2010-12-26
Line count: 21
Word count: 120