Dire story | Did it have to be so dark right then

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by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Schlimme Geschichte

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Mußt 's auch grad so dunkel sein
An der Weißdornhecke!
War nicht Mond- nicht [Sternenschein]¹,
Stand der Liebste ganz allein
Wartend an der Ecke.

Rothe Rosen in der Hand,
Kam ich still gegangen,
Griff mich ein's am Schürzenband --
Eh' ich noch ein Wörtchen fand,
War ich schon gefangen.

Knurrend lag ein wildes Thier
Auf den Treppenstufen,
Schloß der Liebste schnell die Thür,
Schob auch noch den Riegel für --
Sollt ich etwa rufen?

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• M. Reger

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Anna Ritter, Leipzig: Verlag von A.G. Liebeskind, 1898, page 13

¹ Reger: "Sonnenschein"

Text Authorship:

by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Schlimme Geschichte", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Das Ringlein sprang entzwei, no. 5 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Rudolph Ganz (1877 - 1972), "Schlimme Geschichte", op. 2 no. 2, published 1908 [ voice and piano ], Boston: A.P. Schmidt [sung text not yet checked]
by Max Reger (1873 - 1916), "Schlimme Geschichte", op. 31 (Sechs Gedichte von Anna Ritter) no. 6 (1898) [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Hermann Karl Josef Zilcher (1881 - 1948), "Schlimme Geschichte", op. 13 (Vier Lieder für mittlere Stimme und Klavier) no. 4 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Història terrible", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Dire story", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Terrible histoire", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-07-06
Line count: 15
Word count: 72

Dire story

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Did it have to be so dark right then
By the white hawthorn hedge!
There was no moonlight, no [starlight]¹,
My beloved stood all alone
Waiting at the corner.

With red roses in my hand
I came quietly a-walking,
Something seized my apron strings --
Before I could say a word
I was already captured.

Growling, a wild animal lay
Upon the steps,
My beloved quickly locked the door,
Slid the bolt as well --
Should I have called out?

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Reger: "sunshine"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Schlimme Geschichte", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Das Ringlein sprang entzwei, no. 5
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-03-30
Line count: 15
Word count: 78