by Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel (1863 - 1920)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Der Arbeitsmann
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE
Wir haben ein Bett, wir haben ein Kind,
   mein Weib!
Wir haben auch Arbeit, und gar zu zweit,
und haben die Sonne und Regen und Wind,
und uns fehlt nur eine Kleinigkeit,
um so frei zu sein, wie die Vögel sind:
   nur Zeit.

Wenn wir Sonntags durch die Felder gehn,
   mein Kind,
und über den Ähren weit und breit
das blaue Schwalbenvolk blitzen sehn,
o dann fehlt uns nicht das bißchen Kleid,
um so schön zu sein, wie die Vögel sind:
   nur Zeit.

Nur Zeit! wir wittern Gewitterwind,
   wir Volk.
Nur eine kleine Ewigkeit;
uns fehlt ja nichts, mein Weib, mein Kind,
als all das, was durch uns gedeiht,
um so [froh]1 zu sein, wie die Vögel sind:
  nur Zeit.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Pfitzner or Schoeck: "kühn"

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) , "El treballador", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De werkman", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The workman", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le travailleur", copyright © 2010, (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: 21
Word count: 121

The workman
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
We have a bed, we have a child,
My wife!
We have also work - work for two,
and have the sun and rain and wind;
and we lack just one small thing
to be as free as the birds are:
only time.

When on Sundays we go through the fields,
My child,
And above the corn, far and wide,
the blue swallows can be seen flitting,
Oh, then, we lack no bits of clothing
to be as fine as the birds are:
only time.

Only time! We sense a stormwind,
we people.
Just one small eternity;
We lack nothing, my wife, my child,
but all that thrives in us,
to be as bold as the birds are:
only time.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 119