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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation by Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887)

Mir träumt', ich bin der liebe Gott
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Mir träumt', ich bin der liebe Gott,
und sitz im Himmel droben,
und Englein sitzen um mich her,
die meine Verse loben.

Und Kuchen eß ich und Konfekt
für manchen lieben Gulden,
und Kardinal trink ich dabei,
und habe keine Schulden.

Doch Langeweile plagt mich sehr,
ich wollt, ich wär auf Erden,
und wär ich nicht der liebe Gott,
ich könnt des Teufels erden.

Du langer Engel Gabriel,
geh, mach dich auf die Sohlen,
und meinen teuren Freund Eugen
sollst du herauf mir holen.

Such ihn nicht im Kollegium,
such ihn beim Glas Tokayer;
such ihn nicht in der Hedwigskirch,
such ihn bei Mamsell Meyer.

Da breitet aus sein Flügelpaar
und fliegt herab der Engel,
und packt ihn auf, und bringt herauf
den Freund, den lieben Bengel.

Ja, Jung, ich bin der liebe Gott,
und ich regier die Erde!
Ich habs ja immer dir gesagt,
daß ich was Rechts noch werde.

Und Wunder tu ich alle Tag,
die sollen dich entzücken,
und dir zum Spaße will ich heut
die Stadt Berlin beglücken.

Die Pflastersteine auf der Straß,
die sollen jetzt sich spalten,
und eine Auster, frisch und klar,
soll jeder Stein enthalten.

Ein Regen von Zitronensaft
soll tauig sie begießen,
und in den Straßengössen soll
der beste Rheinwein fließen.

Wie freuen die Berliner sich,
sie gehen schon ans Fressen;
die Herren von dem Landgericht,
die saufen aus den Gössen.

Wie freuen die Poeten sich
bei solchem Götterfraße!
Die Leutnants und die Fähnderichs,
die lecken ab die Straße.

Die Leutnants und die Fähnderichs,
das sind die klügsten Leute,
sie denken: alle Tag geschieht
kein Wunder so wie heute.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 66 [author's text not yet checked 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 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Der wunderbare Traum", op. 60 (Drei Heine-Lieder) no. 3 (1929), published 1933 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Uwe Hilprecht (b. 1939), "Mir träumt': ich bin der liebe Gott" [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Mir träumt', ich bin der liebe Gott", published 1851, from Die Heimkehr : 88 Gedichte aus H. Heine's Reisebildern, no. 66 [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Yury Nikolaevich (Nasonovich) Tynyanov (1894 - 1943) , no title ; composed by Valery Aleksandrovich Gavrilin.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English (Emma Lazarus) , appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 52
Word count: 267

I dreamt I was Almighty God
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
I dreamt I was Almighty God,
   And sat within the sky,
And angels sat on either side,
   And praised my poetry.

And sweets and pastries there I ate,
   And drank the best tokay,
With many a precious florin bright,
   Yet had no bill to pay.

No less was I nigh bored to death,
   And longed for earth and evil,
And were I not Almighty God
   I fain had been the devil.

"Thou long-legged angel Gabriel,
   Make haste; begone from here!
And hither bring my friend Eugene,
   The friend I love so dear.

"Within the college seek him not,
   But where good wine inspires,
And seek him not in Hegwig Church,
   But seek him at Miss Myers'."

Then spreading broad his mighty wings,
   The angel doth descend,
And hastens off, and brings me back
   Dear Bendel, my dear friend.

Lo, youth, I am almighty God!
   The earth is my estate.
Did I not always promise thee
   I should be something great?

And I accomplish miracles
   That shall thy homage win.
To-day to please thee I shall bless
   The city of Berlin.

Behold, the pavements of each street
   Now wider, broader, grown!
And to an oyster, fresh and clear,
   Transformed is every stone.

A shower of sweet lemonade
   Pours down like dew divine.
And through the very gutters flows
   The mellowest Rhine wine.

Oh, how the Berlinese rejoice!
   They lush o'er such good fare.
The councillors and aldermen
   Will drain the gutters bare.

The poets are in ecstasies
   At such a feast divine.
The captains and the corporals
   Lick up the streaming wine.

The captains and the corporals,
   What clever men are they!
They think -- such miracles as these
   Occur not every day.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887), appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 66
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-05-02
Line count: 52
Word count: 281

Gentle Reminder

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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