by Victor August Eberhard Blüthgen (1844 - 1920)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Es war ein niedlich Zeiselein
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Es war ein niedlich Zeiselein,
Das träumte nachts im Mondenschein:
Es säh' am Himmel Stern bei Stern,
Davon wär' jeder ein Hirsekern,
Und als es geflogen himmelauf,
Da pickte das Zeislein die Sterne auf.
  Piep -- 
Wie war das im Traume so lieb!

Und als die Sonne beschien den Baum,
Erwachte das Zeislein von seinem Traum.
Es wetzte das Schnäbelchen her und hin
Und sprach verwundert in seinem Sinn:
"Nun hab' ich gepickt die ganze Nacht
Und bin doch so hungrig aufgewacht!
  Ping --
Das ist mir ein närrisches Ding!"

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   L. Blech •   R. Kügele •   A. Wallnöfer •   R. Wintzer •   P. Wolfrum •   A. Zemlinsky 

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Confirmed with Gedichte von Victor Blüthgen, Leipzig, Verlag von Edwin Schloemp, 1880, page 211.


Text Authorship:

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 105

There was a sweet little greenfinch
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
There was a sweet little greenfinch
that dreamed all night in the moonlight:
It saw in the sky star upon star,
and every one was a millet seed.
And when it flew up into the sky,
the greenfinch pecked at the stars.
Peep -
how lovely it was in the dream!

And when the sun warmed the tree,
the little greenfinch awoke from its dream.
It opened and closed its beak
and said with astonishment to itself:
"I've been pecking the whole night
and yet I've woken up so hungry!
Ping -
That seems such a stupid thing to me!"

Available sung text translations:   ← What is this?

•   A. Wallnöfer 

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Translations of titles
"Das Zeiselein" = "The little greenfinch"
"Der Traum" = "The Dream"
"Der Traum - Aus dem Kinderparadies in ganz kindlicher Weise seiner Mama komponiert von einem Kinde" = "The dream - from the children's paradise, composed by a child in a very childlike way for his mother"
"Zeisleins Traum" = "The dream of the little greenfinch"

2 Wallnöfer: "thing"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

Go to the general view


This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 101