The cry of the quail | Oh! From over there so sweetly it resounds

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by Samuel Friedrich Sauter (1766 - 1846)

Translation © by Iain Sneddon

Der Wachtelschlag

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

Ach! wie schallt's dorten so lieblich hervor;
   Fürchte Gott!
   Fürchte Gott!
Ruft mir die Wachtel in's Ohr!
Sitzend im Grünen, von Halmen umhüllt,
Mahnt sie den Horcher im Schattengefild:
   Liebe Gott!
   Liebe Gott!
Er ist so gütig, so mild.

Wieder bedeutet ihr hüpfender Schlag:
   Lobe Gott!
   Lobe Gott!
Der dich zu lohnen vermag.
Siehst du die herrlichen Früchten im Feld,
Nimm es zu Herzen, Bewohner der Welt!
   Danke Gott!
   Danke Gott!
Der dich ernährt und erhält.

Schreckt mich im Wetter der Herr der Natur,
   Bitte Gott!
   Bitte Gott!
Ruft sie, er schonet die Flur.
Machen Gefahren des Krieges mir bang,
Tröstet mich wieder der Wachtelgesang:
   Traue Gott!
   Traue Gott!
Sieh, er verziehet nicht lang!

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Confirmed with Almanach und Taschenbuch für häusliche u. gesellschaftl. Freuden. 1799. von Carl Lang mit Kupfern von D. Chodowicki, H. Guttenberg &. Heilbronn am Neckar im Industrie Comtoir, pages 250-251.

This is the first version of Sauter's poem. Later he published his poem in a revised form, see below.

Text Authorship:

by Samuel Friedrich Sauter (1766 - 1846), "Der Wachtelschlag", written 1796, first published 1799 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 27
Word count: 121

The cry of the quail

NOTE: the footnotes have been removed from this text; return to general view

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Oh! From over there so sweetly it resounds:
Fear God, fear God!
The quail cries in my ear.
Sitting in the greenery, wrapped in stems;
It entreats the listener in shady realms:
Love God, love God!
He is so gentle, so kind.

Again it tells us in a lively cry:
Praise God, praise God!
He is able to give you the worthwhile.
Do you see the wonderful fruits in the field?
Take this to heart, people of the world:
Thank God, thank God!
Who feeds and keeps you.

He frightens you in the storm, The Lord of Nature:
Plead with God, plead with God!
It calls; he spares the fields.
If the threats of warriors make you anxious:
Comfort it brings me again, the song of the quail:
Trust in God, trust in God!
Look, he will not turn away from you for long.

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Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2009 by Iain Sneddon, (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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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Samuel Friedrich Sauter (1766 - 1846), "Der Wachtelschlag", written 1796, first published 1799
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2009-06-13
Line count: 21
Word count: 145