Flattre, flattre, kleiner Vogel, 
Tändle durch des Lebens May.
Sieh, zerbrochen ist dein [Kerker]1, 
Flattre, flattre, du bist frey. 

  Aber horch es lockt im Busche 
Ein verführerischer Ton! 
[Trau ihm nicht, dem süßen Locken]2, 
Flattre, flattre husch davon.

  Siehst du nicht die [bunte]3 Schlinge, 
Wo die rothe Beere hängt?
Flattre, flattre, armer Vogel, 
Eh sie dich Betrognen fängt.

  Hast du sie einmal verschlungen, 
Jene Beere süß und roth;
O dann zappelst du vergebens. 
Deine Schlinge [lößt nur]4 Tod!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with August von Kotzebue, Der Papagoy. Ein Schauspiel in drey Aufzügen, erster Aufzug, erster Auftritt, Wien: bey Joh. Baptist Wallishauser, [1792], page 3. This folk song also appears in many other collections.

¹ Giuliani: "Käfig"
² Giuliani: "Traue nicht, dem süßen Locker"
³ Giuliani: "falsche"
⁴ Giuliani: "ist dein"

Text Authorship:

• from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , no title [author's text checked 2 times 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):

• by F. C. (Ferdinand Carl) Füchs (1811 - 1848), "Warnung (Fuggi)", op. 14, published 1842 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Diabelli und Co. [sung text not yet checked]
• by Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani (1781 - 1829), "Verderbliche Freiheit", published <<1836, confirmed with Die Volkslieder der Deutschen, ed. by F. K. von Erlach, Mannheim Heinrich Hoff, 1836, song no. 41, page 489 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Nikolaus, Freiherr von Krufft (1779 - 1818), "Lied aus dem Schauspiele Der Papagoy", op. 2 (Gesänge für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Klaviers), Heft 1 no. 2, published 1803 [ voice and piano ], Wien: Kunst und Industrie Comptoir [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website: 2022-04-12
Line count: 16
Word count: 85

  Flutter, flutter, little bird,
Dally through life's May-time.
Lo, your prison is shattered,
Flutter, flutter, you are free.

  But listen[,] in the bush a beguiling
Tone is enticing you!
Do not trust it, the sweet allurement,
Flutter, flutter quickly off.

  Do you not see the colourful snare
Where the red berry hangs?
Flutter, flutter, poor bird,
Before it catches you, the deceived one.

  Once you have consumed
Yonder berry sweet and red;
Oh, then you shall struggle in vain,
Your snare shall only be loosened by death!