English translations of Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Otto Julius Bierbaum, opus 15

by Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille (1861 - 1907)

1. Mädchenlied
 (Sung text)
by Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille (1861 - 1907), "Mädchenlied", op. 15 (Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Otto Julius Bierbaum) no. 1, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Auf einem jungen Rosenblatt
Mein Liebster mir geblasen hat
Wohl eine Melodei. 
Es gab mir Dinge viele kund,
Das Rosenblatt am roten Mund,
Und war kein Wort dabei.

Und als das Blatt zerblasen war,
Da gab ich meinen Mund ihm dar
Und küßt an ihm mich satt. 
Und viel mehr Dinge that noch kund
Der rote Mund am roten Mund,
Noch viel mehr selbst als das Rosenblatt.

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by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910)
1. Maiden's song
Language: English 
[Upon]1 a young roseleaf
My beloved whistled for me
A melody.
It told me many things,
That roseleaf against red lips,
And yet no word was spoken.

And when the leaf had been torn from the whistling,
I gave to him my lips
And kissed him until I was satisfied.
Many, many more things were told
By the red lips against the red lips
[Than]2 by the roseleaf.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2012 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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1 Dieren: "To a"
2 Dieren, Thuille: "Much more still than"


This text was added to the website: 2012-07-23
Line count: 12
Word count: 70

Translation © by Sharon Krebs
2. Sehnsucht
 (Sung text)
by Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille (1861 - 1907), "Sehnsucht", op. 15 (Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Otto Julius Bierbaum) no. 2, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Wie eine leise Glocke klingt
Die Sehnsucht in mir an;
Weiß nicht, woher, wohin sie singt,
Weil ich nicht lauschen kann.
 
Es treibt das Leben mich wild um,
Dröhnt um mich mit Gebraus,
Und mählich wird die Glocke stumm,
Und leise klingt sie aus.
 
Sie ist nur für den Feiertag
Gemacht und viel zu fein,
Als daß ihr bebebanger Schlag
Dräng in die Lärmluft ein.
 
Sie ist ein Ton von dorten her,
Wo alles Feier ist;
Ich wollte, daß ich dorten wär,
Wo man den Lärm vergißt.

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by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910)
2. Longing
Language: English 
Like a quiet bell
Longing rings within me;
I know not whither, whence it sings,
Because I cannot listen.

Life drives me wildly about,
With a roar it drones about me,
And bit by bit the bell falls mute,
And quietly it ceases to ring.

It is only made for days of ease,
And is far too finely made
For its tremblingly anxious beat
To penetrate into the noisy air.

It is a sound from yonder
Where everything is ease;
I wish that I were there,
Where one forgets the noise.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2012 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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This text was added to the website: 2012-07-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 91

Translation © by Sharon Krebs
3. Lied der jungen Hexe
 (Sung text)
by Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille (1861 - 1907), "Lied der jungen Hexe", op. 15 (Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Otto Julius Bierbaum) no. 3, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Als nachts ich überm Gebirge ritt,
Rack, schack, schacke mein Pferdchen,
Da ritt ein seltsam Klingeln mit,
Kling, ling, klingelalei.

Es war ein schmeichlerisch bittend Getön,
Es war wie Kinderstimmen schön.

Mir wars, ich streichelt' ein lindes Haar,
Mir war so weh und wunderbar.

Da schwand das Klingeln mit einemmal,
Ich sah hinunter ins tiefe Tal.

Da sah ich Licht in meinem Haus,
Rack, schack, schacke mein Pferdchen,
Mein Bübchen sah nach der Mutter aus,
Kling, ling, klingelalei.

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by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910)
3. Song of the young witch
Language: English 
When by night I rode over the mountains,
Rack, schack, schacke, my little horse,
A strange ringing seemed to be riding along with me,
Kling, ling, klingelalei.

It was a beguilingly pleading sound,
It was as beautiful as the voices of children.

It was as if I were caressing a soft [head of] hair,
I felt so [melancholy and]1 wondrous.

Then the ringing disappeared all at once,
I gazed down into the deep valley.

[There]2 I saw light within my house,
Rack, schack, schacke, my little horse,
My little lad was looking out [for his mother]3,
Kling, ling, klingelalei.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2012 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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Translations of titles
"Der jungen Hexe Lied" = "The song of the young witch"
"Junghexenlied" = "Song of the young witch"
"Lied der jungen Hexe" = "Song of the young witch"

1 Hermann: "melancholy, so"
2 Sinding: "Then"
3 Hermann: "of the window"


This text was added to the website: 2012-07-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 103

Translation © by Sharon Krebs