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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776)
Translation © by Malcolm Wren

Der Schnee zerrinnt
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE ITA
Der Schnee zerrinnt,
Der Mai beginnt,
[Die]1 Blüten keimen 
[Auf]2 Gartenbäumen,
Und Vogelschall
Tönt überall.

Pflückt einen Kranz,
Und haltet Tanz
Auf grünen Auen, 
Ihr schönen Frauen, 
Wo [junge]3 Main 
Uns Kühlung streun.

Wer weiß, wie bald
Die Klocke schallt,
Da wir des Maien 
Uns nicht mehr freuen:
Wer weiß, wie bald
Die Klocke schallt!

Drum werdet froh! 
Gott will es so,
Der uns dies Leben
Zur Lust gegeben! 
Genießt der Zeit, 
Die Gott verleiht!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   F. Mendelssohn •   F. Schubert •   F. Schubert 

F. Schubert sets stanzas 1, 3, 4 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Ludewig Heinrich Christoph Hölty. Besorgt durch seine Freunde Friederich Leopold Grafen zu Stolberg und Johann Heinrich Voß. Hamburg, bei Carl Ernst Bohn. 1783, pages 65-66; and with Gedichte von Ludewig Heinrich Christoph Hölty. Neu besorgt und vermehrt von Johann Heinrich Voss. Hamburg, bei Carl Ernst Bohn. 1804, pages 166-167.

This is Hölty's poem in its version posthumously printed in the editions edited by Voß. Hölty's original version differs in several verses (see below).

Note: Modern spelling would change "Klocke" to "Glocke".

1 Mendelssohn: "Und"
2 Hölty (1804 edition), and Schubert: "Den"
3 Mendelssohn: "grüne"

Text Authorship:

  • by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Mailied", written 1773, Göttinger Musenalmanach 1776, page 24, first published 1776 [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 Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Mailied", op. 186 (Lieder und Chöre für 3 Frauenstimmen mit Pianoforte), Heft 7 (Bearbeitung nach Motiven von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) no. 27, published 1878 [ vocal trio of female voices or three-part women's chorus and piano ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Gustav Blasser , "Mailied", op. 20 (Hölty-Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte), Heft 2 no. 5, published 1880 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Kratochwill [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Eduard August Grell (1800 - 1886), "Der Schnee zerrinnt, der Mai beginnt", op. 21 no. 7, published 1843 [ voice and piano? ], from [Zwölf] Kinderlieder (auch ohne Begleitung zu singen), no. 7, Berlin, Trautwein [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Victor Hollaender (1866 - 1940), "Frühlingslied", op. 27 no. 1, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Liebeslust und Leid. Lieder-Cyklus für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 1, Berlin, Sulzer Nachf. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Adolf Lorenz, Dr. (1837 - 1923), "Mailied", op. 41 no. 5, published 1877 [ SATB chorus or men's chorus a cappella ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Mailied", op. 41 (Sechs Lieder für Sopran, Alt, Tenor und Bass im Freien zu singen) no. 5 (1834?) [ SATB quartet ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Julius P. Peiser , "Du und der Frühling", published 1879 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 1, Berlin, Barth [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Adolf Reichel (1820 - 1896), "Der Mai", op. 73 (Duette für 2 Singstimme (Sopran und Alt) mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1883 [ vocal duet for soprano and alto with piano ], Leipzig, Leuckart [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Max Renner , "Mailied", op. 2 (Drei Lieder für Sopran und Alt mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1885 [ vocal duet for soprano and alto with piano ], Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Der Schnee zerrinnt", D 130 (1815?), published 1892, stanzas 1,3,4 [ vocal trio ], canon, omitting lines 3-4 in each stanza [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Mailied", D 202 (1815), published 1885 [ vocal duet ], alternatively: duet for two horns [sung text checked 1 time]

Another version of this text exists in the database.

    • Go to the text. [ view differences ] DUT

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Si scioglie la neve", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2010-03-27
Line count: 24
Word count: 75

The snow is melting
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
The snow is melting,
May is beginning,
The blossoms are sprouting
On the trees in the garden
And the sound of birds
Can be heard everywhere.

Pluck a garland
And hold a dance
On the green meadow
You beautiful women,
Where young May blossoms
Strew coolness over us.

Who knows how soon
The bell will toll!
Then in May we 
Shall no longer be able to have fun.
Who knows how soon
The bell will toll!

So, be happy!
God wills it thus,
He who gave us this life,
A life given to us for enjoyment!
Enjoy the time
That God has made available!

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Mailied" = "May song"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 by Malcolm Wren, (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 Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Mailied", written 1773, Göttinger Musenalmanach 1776, page 24, first published 1776
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-11
Line count: 24
Word count: 104

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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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