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

 ... 

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:

Set to music by Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär'", subtitle: "Variationen für Sopran", op. 377, published [1870], stanza 1 [ soprano and piano ], Offenbach am Main, Johann André

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