Madame Sorrow | Madame Sorrow, Madame Sorrow, what does she want of me?

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by Friedrich Roeber (1819 - 1901)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Frau Sorge

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Frau Sorge, Frau Sorge, was will [sie]¹ von mir?
Ich bin ihr noch viel zu jung,
Zu sonnig ist ihr und zu hell mein Quartier,
Zu frei meiner Seele Schwung.

Ist der Winter gekommen, das Feuer verzehrt,
Und sitz' ich verdrossen allein,
Dann mag sie sich kauern an meinen Heerd,
Dann mag sie Genossin mir sein.

Heut' blüht mir der Lenz noch und grün ist die Au,
Es duftet der Wiesengrund,
Mich grüßen verstohlen zwei Äuglein blau,
Es küßt mich ein roter Mund.

Ihr Lied, Frau Sorge, das singt sich nicht
Bei Wein und Rosen im Mai,
Drum geh sie mit ihrem finstern Gesicht,
Frau Sorge, und laß sie mich frei.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Friedrich Roeber, Lyrische und epische Gedichte, Fest- und Märchenspiele, Dritte, vermehrte Auflage, Leipzig: Jul. Baedeker, [1897], pages 12-13.

¹ Blasser: "sie denn"

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Roeber (1819 - 1901), "Frau Sorge", appears in Lyrische und epische Gedichte, Fest- und Märchenspiele, in Liebe und Lieder [author's text checked 1 time 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 Gustav Blasser , "Frau Sorge", op. 95 (Zwei Lieder für Bass mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1894 [ bass and piano ], Leipzig, Rud. Dietrich [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Madame Sorrow", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-06-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 112

Madame Sorrow

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Madame Sorrow, Madame Sorrow, what does she want of me?
I am still much too young for her,
My abode is too sunny and too bright for her,
Too free is the buoyancy of my soul.

When winter has come, the fire consumed,
And I sit alone glumly,
Then she may crouch at my hearth,
Then she may be a companion for me.

Today spring still blooms for me and the meadow is green,
Lovely scents rise from the mead,
Two blue eyes greet me secretly,
Red lips kiss me.

Your song, Madame Sorrow, it cannot be sung
To wine and roses in May,
Therefore let her go, Madame Sorrow
With her gloomy countenance, and leave me be.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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 Friedrich Roeber (1819 - 1901), "Frau Sorge", appears in Lyrische und epische Gedichte, Fest- und Märchenspiele, in Liebe und Lieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2020-06-22
Line count: 16
Word count: 118