by
Johannes Trojan (1837 - 1915)
Ein Lied von de Wet
Language: German (Deutsch)
Wer ist's, der für sein Vaterland
gekämpft auf blut'gem Feld,
Er, dessen Name wird genannt
rings auf der weiten Welt?
Der Ehren sich und Ruhm gewann,
Christian de Wet so heißt der Mann,
de Wet, der Buren Held,
de Wet, der Buren Held!
Das ist der Mann, der kühn und keck
bracht' starken Feind zu Fall;
die Briten fasste blasser Schreck
bei seines Namens Schall.
Er war nicht lang' am selben Ort,
de Wet war hier de Wet war dort,
de Wet war überall,
de Wet war überall.
"Wo ist de Wet?", so sprach der Feind,
"wo kann nur sein de Wet?"
Und manchmal hat er gar gemeint,
daß er ihn endlich hätt'.
Allein bevor er sich versah,
da war de Wet auf einmal da,
da hat ihn selbst de Wet,
da hat ihn selbst de Wet.
Und wenn der Tod sich naht und spricht:
"Sagt mir, wo ist de Wet?"
O Tod, such ihn beim Becher nicht
und such ihn nicht im Bett.
De Wet ist hier de Wet ist da,
wo er dich sieht wo du ihm nah,
da immer ist de Wet,
da immer ist de Wet!
Und wenn einst starr wird seine Hand,
sein Blick verliert den Schein,
dann klingt sein Ruhm durch's Niederland
und Deutschland stimmt mit ein:
"Wo war de Wet? Wo Ruhm und Ehr'
zu finden sind, und nimmermehr
vergessen wird er sein,
vergessen wird er sein!"
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):
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , title 1: "A song about De Wet", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2008-03-11
Line count: 40
Word count: 234
A song about De Wet
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Who is it who fought for his fatherland
on a bloody battlefield,
he whose name will resound
around the whole world?
He won honour and glory,
Christian de Wet that is his name,
de Wet, the Boers' hero,
de Wet, the Boers' hero!
That is the man who boldly
defeated a strong enemy;
the British took fright
when they heard his name.
He didn't spend long in the same place,
de Wet was here de Wet was there,
de Wet was everywhere,
de Wet was everywhere.
"Where is de Wet?", asked the enemy,
"Where can de Wet be?"
And sometimes he imagined
that he had finally got him.
But within an instant
de Wet was somewhere else again,
de Wet captured himself,
de Wet captured himself.
And when death approached and said,
"Tell me, where is de Wet?"
O death, don't look for him having a drink,
and don't look for him in bed.
De Wet is here, de Wet is there,
where he sees you however near you are
de Wet is always there
de Wet is always there.
And when one day his hand becomes stiff
and his look loses its brightness,
his glory will still ring round the Netherlands
and Germany will agree,
"Where was de Wet? Where fame and honour
are to be found, and he will never
be forgotten,
he will never be forgotten."
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 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:
This text was added to the website: 2008-03-11
Line count: 40
Word count: 229
