The cherry thief | Early one morning, long before the crowing of the rooster

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by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Der Kirschdieb

(Sung text for setting by H. Eisler)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

An einem frühen Morgen, lange vor Morgengraun
Wurde ich geweckt durch ein Pfeifen und ging zum Fenster.
Auf meinem Kirschbaum -- Dämmerung füllte den Garten --
Saß ein junger Mann mit geflickter Hose
Und pflückte lustig meine Kirschen. Mich sehend
Nickte er mir zu, mit beiden Händen
Holt er die Kirschen aus den Zweigen in seine Taschen.
Noch eine ganze Zeitlang, als ich wieder in meiner Bettstatt lag
Hört'  ich ihn sein lust'ges kleines Lied pfeifen.

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Composition:

Hanns Eisler

Hollywooder Liederbuch

Text Authorship:

by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), "Der Kirschdieb", appears in Steffinische Sammlung

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The cherry thief", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 9
Word count: 79

The cherry thief

(Sung text translation for setting by H. Eisler)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Early one morning, long before sunrise,
I was awakened by some whistling and went to the window.
Up in my cherry tree -- twilight filled the garden --
Sat a young man with patched trousers
Gleefully picking my cherries.  Seeing me,
He nodded to me; with both hands
He transferred the cherries from the branches to his pockets.
For quite some time yet, as I was again lying in my bed,
I heard him whistling his jolly little tune.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2010 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), "Der Kirschdieb", appears in Steffinische Sammlung
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view

This text was added to the website: 2010-10-11
Line count: 9
Word count: 83