Limping feet | A lover had I, who squinted in one eye

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by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Ein Liebchen hatt ich, das auf einem...

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Ein Liebchen hatt ich, das auf einem Aug'schielte;
Weil sie mir schön schien, schien ihr Schielen auch Schönheit. 
Eins hatt ich, das beim Sprechen mit der Zung anstieß,
Mir war's kein  Anstoß, stieß sie an und sprach: Liebster! 
Jetzt hab ich eines, das auf einem Fuß hinket
Ja freilich, sprech ich, hinkt sie, doch sie hinkt zierlich.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• C. Loewe

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Friedrich Rückert, Gesammelte Gedichte, Dritter Band, Erlangen, Carl Heyder, 1837, page 179.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), "Hinkende Jamben", appears in Jugendlieder [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 Franz Ippisch (1883 - 1958), "Ein Liebchen hatt' ich", 1918 [ voice and piano ], from Acht Lieder mit Klavierbegleitung aus dem "Liebesfrühling" von Friedrich Rückert für hohe Stimme, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Hinkende Jamben", op. 62, Heft 1 no. 5 (1837) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , "Limping feet", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Giambi zoppicanti", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: John Versmoren , Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 57

Limping feet

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

A lover had I, who squinted in one eye;
Because she seemed pretty to me, her squinting also seemed beauty.
One I had, that stumbled with her tongue when speaking;
That was no stumble for me, if as she stumbled she said 'beloved'!
Now I have one, who limps on one foot;
Yes freely I admit she limps -- but she limps daintily!

Note: the title is a pun on the 'limping' iambics of the poem, with too many 'feet'

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2007 by David Wyatt, (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 Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), "Hinkende Jamben", appears in Jugendlieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2007-11-16
Line count: 6
Word count: 62