Ich lobe mir die Vögelein
Language: German (Deutsch)
Ich lobe mir die Vögelein,
Die auf den Zweigen springen,
Und um die Wett' tagaus tagein
Auf's Allerschönste singen.
Sie fliegen hin, sie fliegen her,
Als wären sie auf Reisen,
Und nimmer fällt es ihnen schwer,
Ihr lustig Thun zu preisen.
[Grüß Gott euch]1, traute Vögelein,
Ich bin von eurer Sippe,
Und will ein lustiger Vogel sein
Wie ihr mit Herz und Lippe.
Will singen frank und frei wie ihr
Und durch die Felder springen --
Behüt' uns Gott, daß nimmer wir
Gerathen in arge Schlingen.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• R. Franz About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Gedichte von Wilhelm Osterwald, Dritte umgearbeitete und vermehrte Auflage, Leipzig: Verlag von F.E.C. Leuckart (Constantin Sander), 1873, page 1.
1 Franz: "Gott grüß' euch"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Ich lobe mir die Vögelein", op. 5 (Zwölf Gesänge) no. 8, published 1846 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Theodor Kewitsch (1834 - 1903), "Ich lobe mir die Vögelein", op. 70 (Acht Lieder für Männerchor) no. 3, published 1891 [ men's chorus ], Leipzig: G. Richter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduard Gustav Sabbath (b. 1826), "Ich lobe mir die Vögelein", published 1860 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bahn [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Sieber (1822 - 1895), "Der lustige Vogel ", op. 126 (Vier Lieder für Bass mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1881 [ bass or high voice and piano ], Magdeburg, Heinrichshofen [sung text not yet checked]
Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs
[Senior Associate Editor], Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-14
Line count: 16
Word count: 87
I praise the birdlets
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
I praise the birdlets
That hop about on the branches
And day in and day out, in competition,
They sing in the most beautiful manner.
They fly hither, they fly thither,
As if they were upon a journey,
And it is never hard for them
To praise their jolly activities.
God greet you, dear birdlets,
I am of your ilk,
And, like you, with heart and lip
I shall be a merry bird.
I resolve to sing as frankly and freely as you do
And to leap through the fields --
May God protect us, so that we never
Stray into evil snares.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Der lustige Vogel" = "The merry bird"
"Ich lobe mir die Vögelein" = "I praise the birdlets"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 102
