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by Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), as Willibald Alexis
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wer ist Bär?
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
"Mach auf, mach auf deine Thür,
Charmantestes Kind, ich steh dafür -- !"
-- "Wer bist du dann, mein Vater spricht,
Vor Bär und Wölfen öffne nicht."

-- "Ich bin ein Bär, ein Wolf, ein Fuchs,
Eine kleine Maus, ein Adler, ein Luchs,
Ich [krieche, ich sause, ich schleiche, ich]1 schwirr',
Eh du dichs versiehst, ich bin bei dir."

-- "Ich bin in meiner Kammer mutterseelenallein,
Für so viel Tiere ist sie viel zu klein." --
-- "Steh auf, mach auf, riegel' auf, mein Schatz,
Es ist schon neben dir noch Platz."

-- "Keine Maus kann ich nit rascheln hör'n,
Hab' gar zu große Angst vor Bär'n.
Der Wolf, der ist ein Thier nit fein,
Fuchs, Luchs und Adler fressen meine Küchelein."

-- "Spring auf, riegel' auf, mach' nit zu lang,
Mein Herz schlägt wie ein Glockenstrang.
Ein schwaches Brett ist nur dein Thür,
Komm' nur aus deinem Bett herfür!"

-- "Du bist ja nit ein Wolf, ein Fuchs,
Keine kleine Maus, kein Adler, kein Luchs.
Du bist ein schwarzer, schwarzer Bär,
Was kommst du in meine Kammer her?"

-- "Ich komme von dem Wiesewachs,
Allwo die Biene sammelt Wachs,
Ich komme aus dem grunen Wald,
Da, wo sie ihren Honig halt."

-- "Wie hässlich ist dein großer Mund,
Wie drückt deine rauhe Tatze wund." --
-- "Damit klettr' ich auf alle Bäum'
Um süßen, süßen Honigseim."

-- "Wie stachlicht deine Zunge ist,
Und wie du gar gefrässig bist."
-- "Damit leck' ich den Morgentau
Und süße Beeren, rot, [gelb,]2 blau."

-- "Ach, lieber Bär, zerreiss' mich nicht,
Bin meiner Mutter Augenlicht,
Meine Mutter ist des Schulzen Frau,
Der Schulze schlägt mich braun und blau."

-- "Bist du deines Vaters Tochter schon,
Bin ich auch meiner Mutter Sohn,
Und wär' dein Vater auch ein Bär',
Bin ich ja doch dein [gnädiger]3 Herr."

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   C. Loewe 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Wilhelm Haering/Willibald Alexis, Balladen von Willibald Alexis, Berlin: Ferdinand Dümmler, 1836, pages 106-108.

1 Loewe: "kriech' und saus' und schleich' und"
2 Loewe: "gelb und"
3 Loewe: "gnäd'ger"

Text Authorship:

  • by Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), as Willibald Alexis, "Wer ist Bär?" [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 Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Wer ist Bär?", subtitle: "Fabelballade", op. 64 no. 4 (1837), published 1839 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Who is the bear?", subtitle: "Fable ballad", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 44
Word count: 288

Who is the bear?
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
"Open up, open up your door,
Most charming child, I am standing in front of it -- !"
-- “Who are you then? My farther says
Not to open [the door] to bears and wolves."

-- "I am a bear, a wolf, a fox,
A little mouse, an eagle, a lynx,
I [creep, I dash, I sneak, I]1 whirr,
Before you know it, I shall be with you."

-- "I am completely alone in my chamber,
It is far too small for so many animals." --
-- "Get up, open up, unlatch [the door], my darling,
Beside you there is surely still room."

"I can hear no mouse rustling,
I have all too great a fear of bears.
The wolf is not a genteel animal,
Fox, lynx, and eagle eat my little chicks."

-- "Get up, unlatch [the door], don't take so long about it,
My heart is beating like a bell pull.
Your door is only a weak board,
Only come forth from your bed!"

-- "You are not a wolf, a fox,
No little mouse, no eagle, no lynx.
You are black, black bear,
What are doing, coming into my chamber?"

-- "I come from the plants that grow upon the meadow,
There where the bees gather wax,
I come from the green woods,
There, where [the bees] keep their honey."

-- "How ugly is your great mouth,
How your rough paw presses and wounds me!" --
-- "With my paws I climb up all the trees
For the sweet, sweet honeycomb."

-- "How prickly is your tongue,
And how very greedy you are."
-- "With my tongue I lick the morning dew
And sweet berries, red, [yellow,]2 blue."

-- "Ah, dear bear, do not maul me,
I am the light of my mother's eyes,
My mother is the sheriff’s wife,
The sheriff shall beat me black and blue."

-- "Though you be your father's daughter,
I am also my mother's son,
And if your father be a bear,
I am nevertheless your noble lord."

Subtitle: "Fable ballad"

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Loewe: "creep and dash and sneak and"
2 Loewe: "yellow and"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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 Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), as Willibald Alexis, "Wer ist Bär?"
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2020-06-15
Line count: 44
Word count: 323

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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