In the willows | In the willows along the sound

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by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

In den Weiden am Sund

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

In den Weiden am Sund
Ruft in diesen Frühlingsnächten oft das Käuzlein.
Nach dem [Aberglauben]¹ der Bauern
Setzt das Käuzlein die Menschen davon in Kenntnis
Daß sie nicht lang leben. Mich
Der ich weiß, daß ich die Wahrheit gesagt habe
[Über die Herrschenden]², braucht der Totenvogel [davon
Nicht erst]³ in Kenntnis zu setzen.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• H. Eisler

About the headline (FAQ)

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Die Gedichte von Bertolt Brecht in einem Band, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1981 (Neunte Auflage 1997), page 816

¹ Eisler: "Aberglaub'n"
² omitted by Eisler
³ Eisler: "nicht erst davon"

Text Authorship:

by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), no title, appears in Steffinische Sammlung, in Frühling 1938, no. 3 [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 Hanns Eisler (1898 - 1962), "In den Weiden", 1942, from Hollywooder Liederbuch, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Eduard Steuermann (1892 - 1964), "Der Totenvogel", 1945, from Brecht-Lieder [sung text not yet checked]

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

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 57

In the willows

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

In the willows along the sound
the screech owl often calls in these spring nights.
According to the superstitions of the farmfolk
the screech owl informs people
that they do not have long to live.  I,
who know that I have spoken
the truth, do not need the bird of death
to inform me of that.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2011 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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), no title, appears in Steffinische Sammlung, in Frühling 1938, no. 3
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2012-01-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 56