Ein Vögelein
Fliegt [über den]1 Rhein
Und wiegt die Flügel
Im Sonnenschein,
Sieht Rebenhügel
Und grüne Flut
In goldner Glut. --
Wie wohl das tut,
So hoch erhoben
Im Morgenhauch!
Beim [Vögelein]2 droben,
O wär' ich auch!
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• J. Brahms • J. Lang J. Lang sets lines 1-6, 8-12
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Gedichte von C. Reinhold, Stuttgart: C. Mäcken, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1853, pages 65-66.
Note: Lang set this text before the poem was published. She was using Köstlin’s poetry manuscript (Z 2722/8, poem 32, Deutsches Literaturarchiv, Marbach, Germany), which follows footnote 1 (i.e., it uses "über'n" instead of "über den").
Note: in Lang's song, line 3 word 2 ("wiegt") becomes "wieget" in the repetition.
1 Lang: "über'n"
2 Brahms: "Vöglein"
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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Auf dem Schiffe", op. 97 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2 (1885), published 1886 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Dorothea Hofmann (b. 1961), "Ein Vöglein", first performed 2022 [ voice and piano ], from Leicht wie ein Vogel . . ., no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Vögelein", op. 14 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 5 (1842), published 1848, lines 1-6,8-12 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Op het schip", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "In the boat", copyright ©
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Odile Bénassy) , "Un petit oiseau", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Un uccelletto vola sul Reno", copyright © 2010, (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: 12
Word count: 38
A little bird
Flies above the Rhine
And waves it wings
In the sunshine.
It sees vineyards
And green water
In a blaze of gold. --
How enjoyable it is
[To be] up so high
In the morning breeze!
If only I, too, could be
Up there with the little bird!