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[Es war]1 eine Ratt' im Kellernest, [Lebte]2 nur von Fett und Butter, [Hatte]3 sich ein Ränzlein angemäst't, [Als]4 wie der Doctor Luther. Die Köchin hatt' ihr Gift gestellt; Da ward's [so]5 eng' ihr in der Welt, Als [hätte]6 sie Lieb' im Leibe. Sie fuhr herum, sie fuhr heraus Und soff aus allen Pfützen, Zernagt', zerkratzt' das ganze Haus, [Wollt']7 nichts ihr Wüten nützen; Sie tät' gar manchen Ängstesprung, Bald [hatte]8 das arme Tier genung Als hätt' [es]9 Lieb' im Leibe. Sie kam [für]10 Angst am hellen Tag Der Küche zugelaufen, Fiel an den Herd und zuckt' und lag, Und tät erbärmlich schnaufen. Da lachte die [Vergifterin]11 noch: Ha! sie pfeift auf dem letzten Loch, Als [hätte]6 sie Lieb' im Leibe.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• F. Busoni • H. Marschner • A. Radziwill • R. Wagner • C. KreutzerAbout the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Goethes Faust, ed. by Calvin Thomas, Boston, D. C. Heath & Co., 1899, page 95.
1 Marschner: "War"2 Marschner: "Lebt'"
3 Busoni, Kreutzer, Radziwill, Wagner: "Hatt' "
4 Marschner: "So"
5 Marschner: "zu"
6 Busoni, Kreutzer, Marschner, Radziwill, Wagner: "hätt'"
7 Marschner, Radziwill: "Wollte"
8 Busoni, Kreutzer, Radziwill, Wagner: "hatt' "
9 Busoni, Kreutzer, Wagner: "sie"
10 Busoni, Kreutzer, Marschner, Radziwill, Wagner: "vor"
11 Busoni, Kreutzer, Wagner: "Vergift'rin"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ferruccio Busoni (1866 - 1924), "Lied des Brander", 1938, published 1964, first published posthumously in the collection Fünf Goethe-Lieder [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johann Christoph Kienlen (1783 - 1829), "Lied der lustigen Gesellen", published 1819? [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Kienzl (1857 - 1941), "Brander's Lied in Auerbach's Keller", op. 25 (Drei Lieder für Bass-Stimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1881 [ bass and piano ], Kassel, Voigt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Conradin Kreutzer (1780 - 1849), "Es war eine Ratt im Kellernest", published 1896 [ bass or baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Wilh. Dietrich [sung text not yet checked]
- by Justus Amadeus Lecerf (1789 - 1868), "Lied der lustigen Gesellen in Auerbachs Keller", published 1835? [ voice and piano ], from Neun Gesänge zu Goethe's Faust, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leopold Lenz (1803 - 1862), "Lied der Gesellen in Auerbachs Keller", op. 14, Heft 2 no. 1, published 1833 [ voice and piano ], from Gesänge und Lieder aus der Tragödie Faust von Goethe, no. 4, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Aus Goethes Faust", op. 47 (Sechs deutsche Lieder für eine Bass- oder Baritonstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 6, published 1829 [ bass or baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Antoni Henryk Radziwill, Fürst (1775 - 1833), "Lied des Brander", published 1835, from Compositionen zu Göthe's Faust, no. 13, Berlin: Zum ausschliesslichen Debit in Commission bei T. Trautwein, Buch-und Musikhandlung [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Julius Röntgen (1855 - 1932), "Auerbach's Keller in Leipzig", 1931 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra, and organ ], from Aus Goethes Faust, no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Paul Sakolowski (1872 - 1913), "Branders Lied", published 1901 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge für 1 Singstime mit Pianoforte , no. 9, Leipzig, Salzer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883), "Branders Lied", op. 5 no. 3, WWV 15 no. 3 (1831-2), from Sieben Kompositionen zu Goethes Faust, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Conradin Kreutzer (1780 - 1849), "Auerbach's Keller in Leipzig. Zeche lustiger Gesellen", 1820 [ bass, chorus, and piano ], from Gesänge aus Goethe's Faust, no. 8, an edition from 1836 is mentioned by Hofmeister, published Wien, Trentsensky
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869) [an adaptation] and by Almire Gandonnière (b. 1814) [an adaptation] ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Gérard Labrunie) , no title, appears in Le Faust de Goethe [an adaptation]
- IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Cantina di Auerbach a Lipsia", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , copyright © 2023, (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: 21
Word count: 120
There once was a rat nesting in a cellar, Who lived only on lard and butter, Who had a paunch on it, As fat as Doctor Luther. The cook laid out poison for it; It seemed as though, in all the world, As if love had [consumed] its body. It ran hither, it ran thither, And lapped at all the puddles, Gnawed, scratched around the whole house, But there was no use for its madness; It leapt all over in pain, Soon the poor creature had ached As if love [had consumed its] body. It made it [in spite of]1 pain until the break of day Running into the kitchen, Fell on the hearth and twitched and lay prone, And wheezed pitifully. Then [she] laughed, the poisoner: "Ha! it is on his last legs, As if love had [consumed] its body."
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Busoni, Kreutzer, Radziwill, Wagner: "from"
Note: the other textual variants do not affect the translation.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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 Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I)
This text was added to the website: 2016-02-01
Line count: 21
Word count: 141