Morning song | Awake, my child, get up quickly

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from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

Translation © by Laura Prichard

Morgengesang

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG

Wach auf, mein Kind, steh auf geschwind,
sobald der Hahn die Flügel schwingt
und dir von vier od'r fünfen kräht;
der kommt zu spät, der sich lang dreht
und wälzet in den Federn um,
faulenzend hier und dort herum.

Bei deinem leichten weißen Kleid
der Unschuld denk und Reinigkeit,
und wann dein Seel ist rein und weiß,
vor Flecken hüt dich alles Fleiß,
wasch dich in Reu und Herzeleid,
so bleibt schneeweiß dein himmlisch Kleid.

Wer blindlich rote Rosen bricht,
gar leicht sich in die Dornen sticht,
was vorgetan und nachbedacht,
hat manchen großen Schaden bracht;
denk alles vor, tu alles wohl,
als wenns dein letztes Wort sein soll.

Text Authorship:

from Volkslieder (Folksongs) [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Morgengesang", WoO. 34 (Vierzehn deutsche Volkslieder) no. 12, published 1865 [ SATB chorus ], from Deutsche Volkslieder für gemischten Chor, no. 12, Winterthur, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cançó del matí", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Morgengezang", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Morning song", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2005-08-25
Line count: 18
Word count: 109

Morning song

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Awake, my child, get up quickly,
for as soon as the cock flaps his wings
and crows four or five times,
he will be too late [to wake you on time]; he turns around
and fluffs his feathers,
lazily here and there.

In your simple white dress
representing innocence and purity,
when your soul is pure and white,
protect yourself from stains through industriousness,
cleanse yourself of old heartache through repentance,
and so your heavenly dress will remain snow-white.

He who blindly plucks red roses,
in spite of sticking himself on the thorns,
that which was rashly done and only considered later,
has caused great harm;
think everything through, do everything correctly,
as if each word were your last word on earth.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) from Volkslieder (Folksongs)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-03-14
Line count: 18
Word count: 122