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Wie glücklich, wem das Knabenkleid Noch um die Schultern fliegt! Nie lästert er [die böse]1 Zeit, Stets munter und vergnügt. Das hölzerne Husarenschwert Belustiget ihn itzt, Der Kreisel, und das Steckenpferd, Auf dem er herrisch sitzt. Und schwinget er durch blaue Luft Den buntgestreiften Ball; So achtet er nicht Blüthenduft, Nicht Lerch' und Nachtigall. Nichts trübt ihm, nichts in weiter Welt, Sein heitres Angesicht, Als wenn sein Ball ins Wasser fällt, Als wenn sein Schwert zerbricht. O Knabe, spiel' und laufe nur, Den lieben langen Tag, Durch Garten und durch grüne Flur Den Schmetterlingen nach. Bald schwitzest du, nicht immer froh, Im engen Kämmerlein, Und lernst vom dicken Cicero Verschimmeltes Latein!
Confirmed with Gedichte von L. H. Ch. Hölty. Neu besorgt und vermehrt von Johann Heinrich Voß. Wien, 1815. Bey Chr. Kaulfuß und C. Armbruster. Gedruckt bey Anton Strauß, pages 112-113; and with Gedichte von Ludewig Heinrich Christoph Hölty. Neu besorgt und vermehrt von Johann Heinrich Voss. Hamburg, bei Carl Ernst Bohn. 1804, pages 139-140.
This is the version of Hölty's poem heavily reworked by Voß. For the original version from Hölty's manuscript, with 7 stanzas, see below.
1 Schubert: "der bösen"Text Authorship:
- by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Die Knabenzeit", written 1771, first published 1804 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
- by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826), "Die Knabenzeit", written 1771, first published 1804 [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 Johann Wenzeslaus Kalliwoda (1801 - 1866), "Die Knabenzeit" [ voice and piano ], from 11 Lieder, no. 8, note: Kalliwoda has formed two stanzas from the six by joining stanzas 1-3 and 4-6 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Die Knabenzeit", D 400 (1816), published 1895 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by G. Wichtl , "Die Knabenzeit", op. 116 (Zwölf Kinderlieder für 1 Singstimme mit leichter Pianofortebegleitung, zugleich als Übungen im Gesange und im Selbstbegleiten) no. 5, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Stoll [sung text not yet checked]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El temps de la minyonesa", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De jongenstijd", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "The time of boyhood", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 111
How lucky he is, he whose boy's clothes Still hang from his shoulders! He never curses this awful time, He is always jolly and contented. The wooden Hussar's sword Still gives him pleasure, As do the spinning top and the toy horse Which he sits on in such a lordly way. And when he throws his ball through the blue air, His brightly striped ball, He doesn't notice the scent of the blossoms Or the lark and the nightingale. Nothing disturbs him, nothing in the wide world Will affect his cheerful face, Except when his ball falls in the water Or if he breaks his sword. Oh lad, just play and run around For the whole happy day, Go through the gardens and across the green fields In pursuit of butterflies. You'll soon be sweating, you won't always be cheerful, You'll be in a narrow little room Learning from a big fat volume of Cicero, Studying mouldy Latin.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2017 by Malcolm Wren, (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 Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Die Knabenzeit", written 1771, first published 1804 and by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826), "Die Knabenzeit", written 1771, first published 1804
This text was added to the website: 2017-05-23
Line count: 24
Word count: 158