by
Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815)
Schlaf, süßer Knabe, süß und mild!
Language: German (Deutsch)
Schlaf, [süßer]1 Knabe, süß und mild!
Du deines Vaters Ebenbild!
Das bist du; zwar dein Vater spricht,
Du habest seine Nase nicht.
Nur eben [itzo]2 war er hier,
Und sah dir in's Gesicht,
Und sprach: "Viel hat er zwar von mir,
Doch meine Nase hat er nicht."
Mich dünkt es selbst, sie ist zu klein,
Doch muß es seine Nase sein;
Denn wenn's nicht seine Nase wär',
Wo hätt'st du denn die Nase her?
Schlaf, Knabe, was dein Vater spricht,
Spricht er wohl [im]3 Scherz;
Hab' immer seine Nase nicht
Und habe nur sein Herz!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Loewe: "holder"
2 often modernized to "jetzo"
3 Blech, Kraus: "nur im"
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):
- by Leo Blech (1871 - 1958), "Die Mutter bei der Wiege", op. 25 no. 8, copyright © 1917 [ voice and piano ], from Acht Liedchen großen und kleinen Kindern vorzusingen, Vierte Folge, no. 8, Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hans Hermann (1870 - 1931), "Die Mutter bei der Wiege", op. 24 no. 3, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], from Aus der Kinderstube. Fünf Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 3, Berlin, Challier & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Martin Kraus (1756 - 1792), "Die Mutter bei der Wiege", VB 92 (1783), published 1796 [ voice and piano ], from Airs et Chansons pour le Clavecin [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Die Mutter an der Wiege", 1840 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Die Mutter bei der Wiege", 1779, published 1798 [ voice and piano ], from Wiegenlieder für gute deutsche Mütter, no. 9, Leipzig: Gerhard Fleischer der Jüngern [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist)
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The mother at the cradle", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Peter Donderwinkel
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 98
The mother at the cradle
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Sleep, [sweet]1 boy, sweetly and mildly,
You, the very image of your father.
That's what you are, although your father
Says you do not have his nose.
He was only just here
And looked into your face
And said: "He has a lot of my characteristics,
But he does not have my nose!"
Well, I think it is a little small myself,
Yet it must be his nose,
For if it weren't his nose,
Where on earth would you have gotten it?
Sleep, little boy, what you father says
He's probably saying only in jest.
Don't worry about having his nose,
Just have his [good] heart!
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Loewe: "lovely"
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815), "Die Mutter bei der Wiege"
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 107
