Weary! | Only six narrow, simple boards

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by Otto Friedrich Gruppe (1804 - 1876)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Nur sechs schmale schlichte Bretter

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Nur sechs schmale schlichte Bretter
Und ein wenig Hobelspan:
Unterm Dach der grauen Blätter 
Da begrabt mich müden Mann!

Wenn ich endlich nicht mehr leide, 
Bei der Weide sei mein Grab:
Wie der morschen hohlen Weide, 
Starb das Herz mir innen ab.

Abgehaun die Äst' und Triebe 
Hat man, Weide, dir und mir,
Aber mir dazu die Liebe 
Riß man aus dem Herzen hier.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Gedichte von O.F. Gruppe, Berlin: Gedruckt und verlegt bei G. Reimer, 1835, page 74.

Text Authorship:

by Otto Friedrich Gruppe (1804 - 1876), no title, appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, no. 50 [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):

[ None yet in the database ]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Weary!", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-11-25
Line count: 12
Word count: 64

Weary!

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Only six narrow, simple boards
And little sawdust:
Under the canopy of the grey leaves,
There bury me, the weary man!

When I finally no longer suffer,
May my grave be by the willow:
As [happened to] the rotting, hollow willow,
My heart died within me.

They have chopped off, willow,
The branches and shoots of both you and me,
But for me, in addition, they tore
Love out of this my heart.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Otto Friedrich Gruppe (1804 - 1876), no title, appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, no. 50
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-11-26
Line count: 12
Word count: 73