by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875)
Translation © by Amelia Maria Imbarrato

Auftrag
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE FRE HEB ITA
In poetischer Epistel
Ruft ein desperater Wicht:
Lieber Vetter! Vetter Christel!
Warum schreibt Er aber nicht?

Weiß Er doch, es lassen Herzen,
Die die Liebe angeweht,
Ganz und gar nicht mit sich scherzen,
Und nun vollends ein Poet!

Denn ich bin von dem Gelichter,
Dem der Kopf beständig voll;
Bin ich auch nur halb ein Dichter,
Bin ich doch zur Hälfte toll.

Amor hat Ihn mir verpflichtet,
Seinen Lohn weiß Er voraus,
Und der Mund, der Ihm berichtet,
Geht dabei auch leer nicht aus.

Pass' Er denn zur guten Stunde,
Wenn Sein Schatz durch's Lädchen schaut,
Lock' ihr jedes Wort vom Munde,
Das mein Schätzchen ihr vertraut.

Schreib' Er mit dann von dem Mädchen
Ein halb Dutzend Bogen voll,
Und daneben ein Tractätchen, 
Wie ich mich verhalten soll!

Confirmed with Mörike, Eduard, Werke, Herausgegeben von Hannsludwig Geiger, Sonderausgabe der Tempel-Klassiker, Emil Vollmer Verlag, Wiesbaden, p. 191.


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):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Encàrrec", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "Instructions", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ordre", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Requête", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • HEB Hebrew (עברית) (Hamutal Atariah) , "משימה", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Incarico", copyright © 2008, (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: 24
Word count: 128

Incarico
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
In epistola poetica 
implora un povero diavolo disperato:
Caro cugino! Cugino Christel! 
Ma perché non scrive?

Lei lo sa, i cuori sfiorati 
dall'amore non sopportano
per niente che si scherzi con loro, 
e poi sopra tutto un poeta!

Perché io sono di quella gentaglia 
che ha la testa sempre piena,
anche se sono un mezzo poeta, 
quindi solo un mezzo matto.

Amore Le ha dato un incarico, 
e già ne conosce il compenso,
e la bocca che La informa 
non resterà asciutta.

Badi dunque bene all'ora giusta
in cui il Suo tesoro guarderà dalla finestra,
le tiri fuori ogni parola 
che il mio tesorino le ha confidato.

Mi scriva poi della ragazza 
una mezza dozzina di fogli pieni,
ed a parte un trattatello 
su che cosa devo fare.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2008 by Amelia Maria Imbarrato, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Amelia Maria Imbarrato. We have no current contact information for the copyright-holder.
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Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2008-05-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 128