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Bird-songs
Song Cycle by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947)
View original-language texts alone: Vogel-lieder
Im Apfelbaume pfeift der Fink Sein: pinkepink! Ein Laubfrosch klettert mühsam nach Bis auf des Baumes Blätterdach Und bläht sich auf und quackt: "Ja, ja! Herr Nachbar, ick bin och noch da!" Und wie der Vogel frisch und süß Sein Frühlingslied erklingen ließ, Gleich muß der Frosch in rauhen Tönen Den Schusterbaß dazwischen dröhnen. "Juchheija, heija!" spricht der Fink. "Fort flieg ich flink!" Und schwingt sich in die Lüfte hoch. "Wat!" ruft der Frosch, "dat kann ick och!" Macht einen ungeschickten Satz, Fällt auf den harten Gartenplatz, Ist platt, wie man die Kuchen backt, Und hat für ewig ausgequackt. Wenn einer, der mit Mühe kaum Geklettert ist auf einen Baum, Schon meint, daß er ein Vogel wär, So irrt sich der.
Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Busch (1832 - 1908), "Fink und Frosch"
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "Finch and Frog", rhymed paraphrase, copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
A finch piped up in an apple tree that finch's cheeky cheep-a-cheep-cheep! A tree frog climbed up to him laboriously, Up to a green-leafed roof quite steep, And swelled himself to croak: "It's me, Neighborly ready to croak-a-peep-peep!" And as the bird was fresh, freshly sweet, So sweet to the spring did it tweet-a-tweet-tweet, The frog joined in with a raucous bleat, A moaning drone, quite indiscrete. The finch burst forth: "Hurrah! Hurray! I'll think that I shall fly away!" And leapt into the sky that day. "What!" cried the frog, "Well so shall I!" And believing such foolish lie, Fell splat to the ground where it did die. Flat as a pancake flat, doornail dead, It had given its final croak instead. If someone -- not a bird -- climbs high And thinks that he might someday fly Without the wings of the birdy bird, Why then, such thinking is simply absurd.
Authorship:
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Finch and Frog", rhymed paraphrase, copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Busch (1832 - 1908), "Fink und Frosch"
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-02-03
Line count: 22
Word count: 151
Der Schuhu hörte stets mit Ruh, wenn zwei sich disputierten, zu. - Mal stritten sich der Storch und Rabe, Was Gott der Herr zuerst erschaffen habe, Ob erst den Vogel oder erst das Ei. "Den Vogel!" - schrie der Storch - "Das ist doch klar wie Brei!" Der Rabe krächzt: "Das Ei, wobei ich bleibe; wer's nicht begreift, hat kein Gehirn im Leibe!" Da fingen an zu quaken Zwei Frösch in grünen Jacken. Der eine quakt: "Der Storch hat recht!" Der zweite quakt: "Der Rab hat recht!" "Was?" - schrien die beiden Disputaxe - "was ist denn das für ein Gequakse??" - Der Streit erlosch. - Ein jeder nimmt sich einen Frosch, Der schmeckt ihm garnicht schlecht. Ja - denkt der Schuhu - so bin ich! Der Weise schweigt und räuspert sich!
Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Busch (1832 - 1908), "Der weise Schuhu"
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "The wise owl", rhymed paraphrase, copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
The wise old owl holds still his tongue When two sides' angry words are flung. A stork and raven once did dispute -- "Did the Lord God (who was truly quite astute) Make first the egg or bird? Refute!" The stork screeched, "T'was the fowl! That is truth, most certainly allowed!" The raven croaked, "The egg was first! Who can't see that is brain-dead! Cursed!" They both went on quite loud and long, As two nosey frogs joined the duo's song. The first invoked, "The stork's so bright!" The second croaked, "The raven's right!" "What?" the argumentative birds did say. "Such frogs dare to join in our bird-brain fray?" The argument ceased right then and there, As the birds snapped up the usurping pair And lunched on frog as their lunchtime fare. "Yup," punned the wise old owl, "Staying silent, the frogs would not have run afoul."
Authorship:
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "The wise owl", rhymed paraphrase, copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Busch (1832 - 1908), "Der weise Schuhu"
Go to the single-text view
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-02-03
Line count: 20
Word count: 146
Die Mutter sprach: "O Heinrich mein! Nimm diese Brezen, sie sei dein!" Der böse Heinrich denkt sich gleich: "Jetzt fang ich Gänse auf dem Teich." Ein junges Gänslein schwamm ans Land, Schwapp! hat es Heinrich in der Hand. Es schreit und zappelt fürchterlich; Die Alten sind ganz außer sich. Jetzt faßt die Gans den Heinrich an, Wo sie zunächst ihn fassen kann. Der Heinrich fällt auf seinen Rücken; Am Ohr tun ihn die Gänse zwicken. Sie fliegen dann, - o weh, o weh! Mit Heinrich fort und in die Höh. Hoch über seiner Mutter Haus, Da lassen sie den Heinrich aus. Der fällt ganz schwarz und über Kopf Der Mutter in den Suppentopf. Mit einer Gabel und mit Müh' Zieht ihn die Mutter aus der Brüh'. Hier sieht man ihn am Ofen stehn. - Dem Schlingel ist ganz recht geschehn! Die Gänse aber voll Ergötzen Verzehren Heinrichs braune Brezen.
Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Busch (1832 - 1908), "Der hinterlistige Heinrich"
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "Dreadful Henry", rhymed paraphrase, copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
His mother said, "Dear Henry, son, "Here're fresh baked pretzels, quite well done." Henry thought without thinking much, To bait with pretzel some geese, to clutch. A gosling swam quite near to shore, And Henry grabbed it, furthermore. It struggled with all its goose-like might. The elders saw its dreadful plight. The whole gaggle of geese then did attack, Assaulting Henry, front and back. Henry fell over from the utter shock, And was seized upon by all the flock. With Henry they sprang into the sky, And flew quite fast and flew quite high. They came upon the mother's house, Carrying that mother's awful little louse. Down the chimney they dropped the lad, And Henry fell and was bruised quite bad. Down the chimney with a clatter and bang, Into the kettle which whistled and sang. With a ladle so quickly had the mother hooked Silly, stupid Henry before he was cooked. In front of the oven he had to stay To dry out, on that goose-flown day. The geese, one notes, had a pretzel to eat, Which tasted all the more deliciously sweet.
Authorship:
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Dreadful Henry", rhymed paraphrase, copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Busch (1832 - 1908), "Der hinterlistige Heinrich"
Go to the single-text view
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-02-03
Line count: 26
Word count: 184