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Wir sind arm; der Wald, das Feld Sind uns Haus und Speicher; Doch so glücklich in der Welt Lebt, wie wir, kein Reicher; Wie die Väter, frohgemuth Leben wir und sterben -- Für ein ächt Zigeunerblut Giebt es kein Verderben! Hei, Zigeuner! Hei, Zigeuner! Hochgemuth und heiter Fangen wir zu leben an, Leben wir immer weiter! Was uns Glück und Unglück beut, Macht uns keine Sorgen; Giebt es nichts zu essen heut, Warten wir bis morgen! Dafür auch verbringen wir Nicht den Tag wie Sklaven -- Immer lustig, singen wir, Tanzen, essen, schlafen. Hei, Zigeuner! Hei, Zigeuner! Hochgemuth und heiter Fangen wir zu leben an, Leben wir immer weiter! Auf der Erde schlafen wir, Hoch der Himmel deckt uns; Mond und Stern macht uns Quartier, Sonn' und Lerche weckt uns! Ob auch Frost und Winter droht: Knistert rings das Feuer, Hat's im Walde keine Noth, Wo das Holz nicht teuer! Hei, Zigeuner! Hei, Zigeuner! Hochgemuth und heiter Fangen wir zu leben an, Leben wir immer weiter! Lustig durch das Leben so Singen wir und wandern, Alle Tage frisch und froh, Einen wie den andern. [Ewiger]1 Festtag ist uns hier Wechselvoll in Neuheit -- Und für nichts verkaufen wir Unsre goldne Freiheit! Hei, Zigeuner! Hei, Zigeuner! Hochgemuth und heiter Fangen wir zu leben an, Leben wir immer weiter!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Friedrich Bodenstedt, Alte und neue Gedichte, Erster Band, Berlin: Verlag der Königlichen Geheimen Ober-Hofbuchdruckerei (R.v. Decker), 1867, pages 136-137.
Note: The Marschner setting has slightly different spellings of some words.1 Marschner: "Ew'ger"
Authorship:
- by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), "Die Zigeunerbande singt:", appears in Alte und neue Gedichte, in 6. Volksweisen als Intermezzo, no. 1 [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 Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Zigeunerchor", op. 169 no. 12, published 1855 [ vocal quartet and piano ], from Orientalischer Liederschatz von Fr. Bodenstedt, no. 12, Hamburg, Böhme [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Bertram Kottmann , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2020-02-29
Line count: 48
Word count: 214
We are poor; the forest, the field Are house and pantry to us; But no rich man in the world Lives as happily as we do; Like our fathers, with a cheerful heart We live and die -- For a true-blooded gypsy There is no perishing! Hey, gypsy! Hey, gypsy! High-spirited and merry Once we begin to live, We simply go on living! What fortune and misfortune offer us, Causes us no worries; If there is nothing to eat today, We wait until tomorrow! That is why we do not spend Our days like slaves -- Ever merry, we sing, Dance, eat, and sleep. Hey, gypsy! Hey, gypsy! High-spirited and merry Once we begin to live, We simply go on living! We sleep upon the ground, The sky high above covers us; The moon and stars are our billets, The sun and the lark wake us! Though frost and winter threaten: The fires crackle around us; There is no dearth in the forest Where the wood is not too costly! Hey, gypsy! Hey, gypsy! High-spirited and merry Once we begin to live, We simply go on living! Merrily through life thus We sing our way and wander, Every day brisk and happy, One like the other. Eternal holiday is for us here, Varied in novelty -- And we would not sell our Golden freedom for anything! Hey, gypsy! Hey, gypsy! High-spirited and merry Once we begin to live, We simply go on living!
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Die Zigeunerbande singt:" = "The band of gypsies sings:"
"Zigeunerchor" = "Gypsy chorus"
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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), "Die Zigeunerbande singt:", appears in Alte und neue Gedichte, in 6. Volksweisen als Intermezzo, no. 1
This text was added to the website: 2020-08-06
Line count: 48
Word count: 240