Merchant, give me a pigment | Merchant, give me a pigment

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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Chramer, gip die varwe mir

Language: Mittelhochdeutsch

Our translations: ENG ITA SPA

Chramer, gip die varwe mir
diu min wengel roete,
da mit ich die jungen man
an ir dank der minnenliebe noete.

Seht mich an,
jungen man!
Lat mich iu gevallen!

Minnet, tugentliche man,
minnecliche frouwen!
minne tuot iu hoch gemuot
unde lat iuch in hohen
eren schouwen.

Seht mich an,
jungen man!
Lat mich iu gevallen!

Wol dir werlt, das du bist
also freudenriche!
Ich will dir sin undertan
durch din liebe immer sicherliche.

Seht mich an,
jungen man!
Lat mich iu gevallen!

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, appears in Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae, first published c1300 [author's text not yet checked 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 Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "Chramer, gip die varwe mir", 1935-6 [ chorus and semi-chorus ], from Carmina Burana, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Merchant, give me a pigment", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Mercante, dammi il colore (Coro e piccolo coro)", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , "Tendero, dame maquillaje", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2011-04-24
Line count: 22
Word count: 83

Merchant, give me a pigment

Language: English after the Mittelhochdeutsch

Merchant, give me a pigment 
with which to redden my cheek,
so that I may make the young men
love me against their will.

Look at me,
young men!
Let me please you!

Worthy men, love
beautiful woman!
Love puts you in high spirits 
and shows you off
in high honor.

Look at me,
young men!
Let me please you!

Blessings on you, world, for you are
so rich in joy!
Surely I will be your servant 
always through love of you.

Look at me,
young men!
Let me please you!

Text Authorship:

Translation from Mittelhochdeutsch to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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 Mittelhochdeutsch by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , appears in Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae, first published c1300
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-09-24
Line count: 22
Word count: 91