If I were a little bird | If I were a little bird

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from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

Translation © by David K. Smythe

Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär'

(Sung text for setting by F. Hiller)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE IRI ITA POR

  Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär',
Und auch zwey Flüglein hätt',
Flög' ich zu dir;
Weil's aber nicht kann seyn,
Bleib' ich allhier.

  Bin ich gleich weit von dir,
Bin doch im Schlaf bey dir,
Und red' mit dir:
Wenn ich erwachen thu',
Bin ich allein.

  Kein Stunde in der Nacht,
Da nicht mein Herz erwacht,
An dich gedenkt,
Daß du mir tausendmal, viel tausendmal 
Dein Herz geschenkt.

Modern spelling would change "zwey" to "zwei", "seyn" to "sein", "bey" to "bei", "thu" to "tu", etc.

Note: the first stanza is quoted by Treitschke in a text set by Beethoven, Ruf vom Berge, WoO. 147

Composition:

Ferdinand von Hiller

Text Authorship:

from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Der Flug der Liebe", Rheinisch

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Als ik een vogel was", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (David K. Smythe) , "If I were a little bird", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Si j'étais un petit oiseau", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Giulio Cesare Barozzi) , "Foss'io un uccellino", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
POR Portuguese (Português) (Margarida Moreno) , "Se eu fosse um passarinho", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Auditorium du Louvre , Lau Kanen [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 82

If I were a little bird

(Sung text translation for setting by F. Hiller)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

 If I were a little bird
 and also had two little wings
 I would fly to you.
 But because that cannot be,
 I remain just here.
 
 Equally if I am far from you,
 yet I am with you in sleep
 and talk to you.
 When I become awake,
 I am alone.
 
 There is no hour of the night goes by
 that my heart does not wake
 and is thinking of you,
 that many thousandfold
 you gave your heart to me.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by David K. Smythe, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Der Flug der Liebe", Rheinisch
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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 81