Ballade berlinoise | Comme une planche elle pendait

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by Alfred Henschke (1890 - 1928), as Jucundus Fröhlich Klabund

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Berliner Ballade

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: FRE

Sie hing wie eine Latte
Vom Schranke steif und stumm.
Am Morgen sah's ihr Gatte,
Lief nach dem Polizeipräsidium.
»Meine Frau«, so schrie er, »ist verschieden...«
Doch der Polizeiwachtmeister Schmidt
Rollte blutig seine Augen:
»Wie denn, ha'm Sie den Jeburtsschein mit?«

Dieses hatte er mitnichten,
Und er setzte sich in Trab,
Spät entsann er sich der ehelichen Pflichten,
-- schnitt sie ab.

Und er legt den Strick an seine Kehle,
Vor dem Spiegel, peinlich und honett.
Nimmt noch einen Schluck, befiehlt Gott seine Seele
-- schwapp, schon baumelt er am Ehebett.

Text Authorship:

by Alfred Henschke (1890 - 1928), as Jucundus Fröhlich Klabund, "Berliner Ballade" [author's text not yet checked 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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Berliner Ballade", 2011 [baritone and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "Berlin ballad", written 2011, copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Ballade berlinoise", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-01-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 89

Ballade berlinoise

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Comme une planche  elle pendait
De l'armoire, raide et muette. 
Au matin il vit son épouse,
Courut au poste de police;
« Ma femme − cria-t-il − a rendu l'âme … »
Alors l'agent de service Schmidt
Roula ses yeux injectés de sang :
« Alors donc, avez-vous son extrait de naissance ?»

Celui-ci n'avait rien avec lui
Et il partit au trot,
Plus tard il se souvint de son devoir conjugal,
Il coupa la corde.

Et il place la corde à son cou,
Avec soin et attention, face au miroir,
Boit encore un coup, recommande son âme à Dieu.
Et floc, il se balance déjà au-dessus du lit conjugal.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2018 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Alfred Henschke (1890 - 1928), as Jucundus Fröhlich Klabund, "Berliner Ballade"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-01-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 109