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Komm, lieber Mai, und mache Die Bäume wieder grün, Und laß [mir]1 an dem Bache Die [kleinen Veilchen]2 blühn! Wie möcht ich doch so gerne Ein [Veilchen]3 wieder sehn, Ach, lieber Mai, wie gerne Einmal spazieren gehn! Zwar Wintertage haben Wohl auch der Freuden viel; Man kann im Schnee eins traben Und treibt manch Abendspiel, Baut Häuserchen von Karten, Spielt Blindekuh und Pfand; Auch gibt's wohl Schlittenfahrten Auf's liebe freie Land. Doch wenn die Vöglein singen Und wir dann froh und flink Auf grünen Rasen springen, Das ist ein ander Ding! Jetzt muß mein Steckenpferdchen Dort in dem Winkel stehn; Denn draußen in dem Gärtchen Kann man vor Kot nicht gehn. Am meisten aber dauert Mich Lottchens Herzeleid; Das arme Mädchen lauert Recht auf die Blumenzeit; Umsonst hol ich ihr Spielchen Zum Zeitvertreib herbei, Sie sitzt in ihrem Stühlchen Wie's Hühnchen auf dem Ei. Ach, wenn's doch erst gelinder Und grüner draußen wär! Komm, lieber Mai, wir Kinder, Wir bitten dich gar sehr! O komm und bring vor allen Uns viele Veilchen mit, Bring auch viel Nachtigallen Und schöne Kuckucks mit!
W. Mozart sets stanzas 1-2, 5
P. Klenau sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Klenau: "uns"
2 Klenau: "Veilchen wieder"
3 Klenau: "Blümlein"
Text Authorship:
- by Christian Adolf Overbeck (1755 - 1821), appears in Fritzchens Lieder, first published 1775 [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 Wilhelm Baumgartner (1820 - 1867), "An den Mai", op. 13 (Zwölf Jugendlieder, 3 und 4 stimmig, für Sopran und Alt) no. 3 (1848) [ sopranos and altos ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul von Klenau (1883 - 1946), "Mai", published 1918, stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], from 5 Lieder zu Kinderreimen, no. 4, Vienna: Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791), "Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling(e)", K. 596 (1791), stanzas 1-2,5 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), [adaptation] ; composed by Robert Schumann.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Verlangen naar de lente", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Come, dear May, and make the trees green again", copyright ©
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Kevään kaipuu", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Nostalgie du printemps", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Vieni, amato maggio", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , copyright © 2023, (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: 40
Word count: 184
Come, dear May, and make the trees green again, and by the brook, let the little violets bloom for me! How I would love to see a violet again - ah, dear May, how gladly I would take a walk! It is true that winter days have much joy as well: one can trot in the snow and play many games in the evening; build little houses of cards, play blind-man's-buff and forfeits; also go tobogganing in the lovely open countryside. But when the birds sing and we joyously and quickly jump and bounce on the green turf - this is another thing! Now my stick-horse must stand in the corner there; for outside in the garden one cannot walk because of the dung. Most of all, Lottchen's sorrow weighs on me: the poor girl waits so gloomily for the flowers to bloom. In vain I bring her games to pass the time, but she sits on her stool like a little hen on an egg. Ah, if only it would grow milder and greener out there! Come, dear may! we children, we beg you! O come and bring for us, before anyone else, lots of violets! Bring also lots of nightingales and pretty cuckoos!
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,
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Christian Adolf Overbeck (1755 - 1821), appears in Fritzchens Lieder, first published 1775
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 204