by
Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875)
Bin jung gewesen
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: CAT ENG FRE ITA
Bin jung gewesen,
Kann auch [mit reden]1,
Und alt geworden,
Drum gilt mein Wort.
Schön reife Beeren
Am Bäumchen hangen:
Nachbar, da hilft kein
Zaun um den Garten;
Lustige Vögel
Wissen den Weg.
Aber, mein Dirnchen,
Du laß dir rathen:
Halte dein Schätzchen
Wohl in der Liebe,
Wohl in Respekt!
Mit den zwei Fädlein
In Eins gedrehet,
Ziehst du am kleinen
Finger ihn nach.
Aufrichtig Herze,
Doch schweigen können,
Früh mit der Sonne
Muthig zur Arbeit,
Gesunde Glieder,
Saubere Linnen,
Das machet Mädchen
Und Weibchen werth.
Bin jung gewesen,
Kann auch mit reden,
Und alt geworden,
Drum gilt mein Wort.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 modernizes to "mitreden"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Alfred Valentin Heuß (1877 - 1934), "Rat einer Alten" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Otto Scherzer (1821 - 1886), "Rath einer Alten", op. 4 (Sechs Lieder für Tenor (oder Sopran) mit Pianofortebleitung) no. 3, published 1887 [ tenor or soprano and piano ], Leipzig, Grunow [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fritz Franz Schieri (1922 - 2009), "Rat einer Alten", 1993 [ female voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Rat einer Alten", from Mörike-Lieder, no. 41 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The advice of an old woman", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Conseil d'une ancienne", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Consigli di una vecchia", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 31
Word count: 102
The advice of an old woman
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
I was young once,
and can also put in a word,
and now I've become old,
so my words are important.
Fair ripe berries
hang from the tree:
neighbors, it does not help
to put a fence around the garden,
for merry birds
will know the way.
Yet, my young lady,
take my advice:
hold your sweetheart
well in love,
well in respect!
With these two little threads
spun into one,
you will lead him
by one little finger.
Sincere of heart,
yet able to keep quiet,
awake with the sun
and merry at work,
with healthy limbs
and clean linen -
this makes a maiden
and a wife of worth.
I was young once,
and can also put in a word,
and now I've become old,
so my words are important.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "Rath einer Alten"
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 31
Word count: 131