Es war ein niedlich Zeiselein,
Das träumte nachts im Mondenschein:
Es säh' am Himmel Stern an Stern,
Davon wär' jeder ein Hirsekern,
Und als es geflogen himmelauf,
Da pickte das Zeislein die Sterne auf.
Piep --
Wie war das im Traume so lieb!
Und als die Sonne beschien den Baum,
Erwachte das Zeislein von seinem Traum.
Es wetzte sein Schnäbelchen her und hin
Und denket verwundert in seinem Sinn:
"Nun hab' es gepickt die ganze Nacht
Und ist doch so hungrig aufgewacht!
Ping --
Das ist doch ein närrisches Ding!"
Composition:
Set to music by Adolf Wallnöfer (1854 - 1946), "Das Zeiselein", op. 97 no. 6 [ vocal duet with piano ]
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 105
There was a sweet little greenfinch
that dreamed all night in the moonlight:
It saw in the sky star upon star,
and every one was a millet seed.
And when it flew up into the sky,
the greenfinch pecked at the stars.
Peep -
how lovely it was in the dream!
And when the sun warmed the tree,
the little greenfinch awoke from its dream.
It opened and closed its beak
and thinks with astonishment to itself:
"I've been pecking the whole night
and yet I've woken up so hungry!
Ping -
That seems such a stupid thing!"
