Wren | The cat sat in the nettle-bush

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Zaunkönig

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Plattdeutsch

Our translations: ENG

Die Katze saß im Nesselbusch
Im Nesselbusch verborgen
Da kam der kleine [König heraus]¹
Und bot ihr guten Morgen.
 
Guten Morgen Mietz im Nesselbusch,
Was sitzest du hier in Sorgen?
Nicht wahr? wenn du die Flüglein hättst,
Verspeistest du mich zum Morgen.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• I. Bronsart von Schellendorf

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Vœr de Gœrn. Kinderreime alt und neu von Klaus Groth, Leipzig, Georg Wigand's Verlag, 1855, page 65.

¹ Bronsart von Schellendorf: "Zaunkönig"

Text Authorship:

by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Zaunkönig", appears in Vœr de Gœrn. Kinderreime alt und neu [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Plattdeutsch by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Zaunkönig", appears in Vœr de Gœrn. Kinderreime alt und neu
- 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):

by Ingeborg Bronsart von Schellendorf (1840 - 1913), "Zaunkönig", op. 17 (Zwölf Kinderreime) no. 10 [ voice and piano ], also set in Plattdeutsch [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Wren", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2021-09-21
Line count: 8
Word count: 43

Wren

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The cat sat in the nettle-bush,
Hidden in the nettle-bush,
Thereupon the [kinglet]¹ came out
And wished the cat good morning.

Good morning, kitty in the nettle-bush,
Why are you sitting here worrying?
It's true, isn't it?  If you had wings,
You would eat me for breakfast.

View original text (without footnotes)

Translator's note to stanza 1, line 3: The German word for "wren" translates literally as "fence-king," hence the (slightly inaccurate) word "kinglet" in this line.

¹ Bronsart von Schellendorf: "wren"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 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 Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Zaunkönig", appears in Vœr de Gœrn. Kinderreime alt und neu
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Plattdeutsch by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Zaunkönig", appears in Vœr de Gœrn. Kinderreime alt und neu
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2022-04-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 48