Mein Schäfer, ach! der ist bescheiden!
Er liebt mich, zärtlich liebt er mich;
Der Inbegriff von seinen Freuden,
Sagt er mir [öfters]1, sei nur ich.
Doch [ist er allezeit]2 bescheiden.

Jüngst ließ die Mutter uns [alleine]3:
Was denkst du, ist alsdann geschehn?
Da stand er starr gleich einem Steine,
Guckt in den Hut und wollte gehn;
Und ach, wir waren ganz alleine!

View text without footnotes
Note for stanza 1, line 3: in an earlier edition of Marx's score, this line was "Der Inbegriff von seiner Freuden"
¹ Marx: "öfter"
² Marx: "bleibt er alle Zeit"
³ Marx: "allein"

The text shown is a variant of another text. [ View differences ]
It is based on

• a text in German (Deutsch) by Christian Felix Weisse (1726 - 1804), "Der bescheidne Schäfer"
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Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Joseph Marx (1882 - 1964), "Der bescheidene Schäfer", 1910, published 1911 [ soprano and piano ], in Lieder und Gesänge, II. Folge, Nr. 3, also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Max Reger (1873 - 1916), "Der bescheidene Schäfer", op. 97 (Vier Lieder) no. 4 (1906) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in English, a translation by John Bernhoff (flourished 1890-1912) ; composed by Joseph Marx.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El pastor tímid", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The diffident shepherd", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le berger timide", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 66

My shepherd, alas! he is diffident!
He loves me, loves me tenderly;
I am, he often tells me, the sole
Embodiment of all his joys;
But [he is ever]1 diffident.

Recently my mother left us alone:
What do you think happened then?
There he stood, stiff as a stone,
Gazing into his hat and wanting to leave;
And ah, we were all alone!