I would quite like to be the emperor!

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by Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (1719 - 1803)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Der Kayser

(Sung text for setting by J. Holzer)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: DUT ENG

  Ich möchte wol der Kaiser seyn!
Den Orient wollt' ich erschüttern;
Die Muselmänner sollten zittern,
Konstantinopel wäre mein!
Ich möchte wol der Kaiser seyn!

  Ich möchte wol der Kaiser seyn!
Athen und Sparta sollten werden,
Und Rom, die Königin der Erden,
Die alte sollte sich erneu'n!
Ich möchte wol der Kaiser seyn!

  Ich möchte wol der Kaiser seyn!
Die grossen Helden mir zu singen,
Wollt' ich die grossen Geister dingen;
Die goldnen Zeiten führt' ich ein!
Ich möchte wol der Kaiser seyn!

  Ich möchte wol der Kaiser seyn!
Weil aber Joseph meinen Willen
Bei seinem Leben will erfüllen,
Und sich darauf die Weisen freun,
So mag er immer Kaiser seyn!

Composition:

Johann Holzer

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (1719 - 1803), "Der Kaiser"

See other settings of this text.

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

DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Een Duits krijgslied", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2023, (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: 20
Word count: 116

The emperor

(Sung text translation for setting by J. Holzer)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  I would quite like to be the emperor!
I would shake up the Orient;
The Muslims would quake,
Constantinople would belong to me!
I would quite like to be the emperor!

  I would quite like to be the emperor!
Athens and Sparta should become,
And Rome, the queen of the world,
The ancient world should renew itself!
I would quite like to be the emperor!

  I would quite like to be the emperor!
To sing the praises of the great heroes,
I would engage the great minds;
I would usher in the Golden Age!
I would quite like to be the emperor!

  I would quite like to be the emperor!
But since, by his life, Joseph intends 
To fulfill my wishes,
And the wise people rejoice in that,
My he thus always be the emperor!

Translations of title(s):
"Der Kaiser" = "The emperor"
"Der Kayser" = "The emperor"
"Ein deutsches Kriegslied" = "A German battle song"
"Meine Wünsche!" = "My wishes!"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (1719 - 1803), "Der Kaiser"
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This text was added to the website: 2023-01-07
Line count: 20
Word count: 140