by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Die Grille
Language: German (Deutsch)
Abend ist's und alles stille,
Du nur zirpest, kleine Grille.
Geht doch Jeder seine Strasse
Nach der Heimat zu.
Sprich mir doch, du Grill' im Grase,
Warum zirpest du?
Zirpst du über böse Zeiten,
Zirpst du über Schlechtigkeiten?
Melancholisch klingt's dem Hörer
Wo du einsam zirpst.
Was du wohl, du Ruhestörer,
Dir damit erzirpst?
Wer dich fängt und bei sich pfleget
Und in seiner Kammer heget,
Dem verzirpt das Lied der Grillen
Seiner Nächte Ruh,
Und er hört ihr wider Willen
In der Kammer zu.
Will mich nicht mit dir befassen,
Will dich ruhig zirpen lassen.
Wandle jeder seine Strasse,
Lasse sie allein.
Lasse nur die Grill' im Grase
Melancholisch 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 or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The cricket", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2008-03-26
Line count: 24
Word count: 111
The cricket
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
It is night and everything is silent.
Only you, little cricket, are chirping.
People are walking on their various pathways
Toward their homes.
Tell me, you cricket in the grass,
Why are you chirping?
Are you chirping about hard times,
Are you chirping about bad deeds?
It sounds melancholy to the hearer,
There where you chirp all alone.
What are you, you destroyer of peace,
Achieving with your chirping?
Whoever catches you and looks after you
And tries to keep you in his room,
The song of the cricket
Will destroy his peace at night,
And he will have to listen to it chirp in his room
Whether he wants to or not!
I will not have anything to do with you.
I will leave you to your chirping.
Everyone should go his own way
And leave [the cricket] alone.
Just leave the cricket in the grass
To be melancholy.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 by Sharon Krebs, (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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2008-03-26
Line count: 24
Word count: 150