-- Vin a tout prix --

Was quälte dir dein [banges]1 Herz?
           "Liebesschmerz!"
Was machte dir [dein Auge]2 roth?
           "Liebesnoth!"
Was gab dir Sorgen ohne Zahl?
           "Liebesqual!"

           Ei, das hast du schlimm bedacht;
           Denn schon manchesmal
           Hat [gar grausam]3 umgebracht
           Liebesschmerz und Qual!

Was heilte dich von deiner Pein?
           "Alter Wein!"
Was gab dir dann den besten Trost?
           "Frischer Most!"
Was stärkte wieder deinen Muth?
           "Traubenblut!"

Ei, [so bringt]4 uns schnell herbei
Dieses edle Gut!
Denn [nun bleibt es doch]5 dabei:
Wein erfrischt das Blut!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Mendelssohn: "armes"
² Mendelssohn: "die Augen"
³ Mendelssohn: "die Menschen"
⁴ Mendelssohn: "bringet"
⁵ Mendelssohn: "es bleibt einmal"

Text Authorship:

• by Julius Mosen (1803 - 1867), "Der Zecher - Als Doctrinair", appears in Gedichte, in Der Zecher, no. 4 [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 Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Liebe und Wein", op. 50 (Sechs Lieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 5 (1838), published 1840 [ four-part men's chorus ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Der Zecher als Doctrinär", op. 33 (Sechs Lieder für vierstimmigen Männergesang) no. 4 (1840), published 1842 [ TTBB chorus ], Hamburg, Schuberth und Co. [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De doctrinaire drinker", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le buveur - en médecin", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• POR Portuguese (Português) (Margarida Moreno) , "O bêbado doutrinário", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Dr. Gerrit den Hartogh , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2004-06-29
Line count: 21
Word count: 89

- Vin à tout prix -
Què turmentava el teu angoixat cor?
“La pena d’amor!”
Què feia envermellir els teus ulls?
“La manca d’amor!”
Què et donava incomptables afliccions?
“El turment de l’amor!”

Ei, tu has considerat malament això,
car moltes vegades
la pena i el turment de l’amor
han brutalment matat molta gent!

Què t’ha guarit de la teva pena?
“El vi vell!”
Què t’ha donat el millor reconfort?
“El most fresc!”
Què ha reforçat de nou el teu coratge?
“La sang del raïm!”

Ei, així doncs, porteu-nos de pressa
aquest noble tresor!
Car ara resta una qüestió:
el vi rejoveneix la sang!