How can I be happy and gay? | How can I be happy and gay?

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by (Johann) Philipp Kaufmann (1802 - 1846)

Translation © by Tinelot Wittermans

Wie kann ich froh und lustig sein?

(Sung text for setting by F. Mendelssohn)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Scottish (Scots)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE HEB

Wie kann ich froh und lustig seyn,
  Wie kann ich geh'n mit Band und Straus?
Wenn der herz'ge Junge, der mir so lieb,
  Ist über die Berge weit hinaus?

'S ist nicht der frost'ge Winterwind,
  'S ist nicht der Schnee und Sturm und Graus,
Doch immer kommen mir Thränen in's Aug',
  Denk ich an ihn, der weit hinaus.

 ... 

Der lange Winter ist vorbei,
  Der Frühling putzt die Birken aus,
Es grünt und blüht und lacht der Mai,
  Dann kehrt er heim, der weit hinaus.

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,5 of the original text.

Note: contemporary German would change the following spellings: "seyn" -> "sein", "Straus" -> "Strauss", "Thränen" -> "Tränen", "Thür" -> "Tür", etc.

Composition:

Felix Mendelssohn

Text Authorship:

by (Johann) Philipp Kaufmann (1802 - 1846), no title

Based on:

a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The Bonie Lad That's Far Awa", written 1788
- Go to the text page.

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Com puc estar contenta i alegre?", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Hoe kan ik blij en vrolijk zijn?", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Tinelot Wittermans) , "How can I be happy and gay?", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Comment puis-je être heureuse et gaie ?", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
HEB Hebrew (עברית) [singable] (Ada Lewinsky) , "איך יהיה ליבי רונן", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 141

How can I be happy and gay?

(Sung text translation for setting by F. Mendelssohn)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

How can I be happy and gay?
How can I wear a ribbon and a bunch of flowers?
Now that the lovely boy whom I love so much
Gone far away over the mountains!

It isn't the icy winter wind
It isn't the snow and the storm and the sleet
But I'm getting tears in my eyes every time
I think of him who's gone away.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,5 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Tinelot Wittermans, (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) by (Johann) Philipp Kaufmann (1802 - 1846), no title
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "The Bonie Lad That's Far Awa", written 1788
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 94