by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815)
Translation © by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947)

Pastetenlied
 (Sung text for setting by G. Graben-Hoffmann)
 See original
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Pasteten hin, Pasteten her,
  Was kümmern uns Pasteten?
Die Schüssel hier ist auch nicht leer
Und schmeckt so gut wie aus dem Meer
die Austern und Lampreten.

Und viel Pastet und Leckerbrot
  Verderben Blut und Magen.
Die Köche kochen lauter Not,
Und kochen uns viel eher tot;
  Ihr Herren, laßt euch's sagen!

Schön rötlich die Kartoffeln sind,
  Und weiß wie Alabaster;
Verdau'n sich lieblich und geschwind
  Und sind für Mann und Frau und Kind,
 ... 
  Ein rechtes Magenpflaster!

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

  • ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "The potato song", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 94

Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Pâtés there, pâtés here,
Shall we care about pâtés?
The bowl here is not empty
and it tastes as good as the fancy foods
which are made by frogs and toads.

And many pastries and tasty breads
only upset one's blood and stomach.
Chefs cook with such a fuss,
and cook us into an early grave;
My friends, let's say it!

Beautifully reddish are potatoes
and white as alabaster!
They're light and sweet and easy to cook,
designed for men and women and child
as a fine cure for the stomach.

Text Authorship:

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "The potato song", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Based on:

Go to the general single-text view


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-15
Line count: 15
Word count: 91