Chanson tsigane | Dans le brouillard ruisselant, dans la neige épaisse

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Im Nebelgeriesel, im tiefen Schnee

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: DUT ENG FRE

Im Nebelgeriesel, im tiefen Schnee,
Im wilden Wald, in der Winternacht,
Ich hörte der Wölfe Hungergeheul,
Ich hörte der Eulen Geschrei:
    Wille wau wau wau! 
      Wille wo wo wo!
        Wito hu!

Ich schoß einmal eine Katz' am Zaun,
Der Anne, der Hex', ihre [schwarze]¹ Katz';
Da kamen des Nachts sieben Wehrwölf' zu mir,
[Es waren sieben]² Weiber vom Dorf.
    Wille wau wau wau! 
      Wille wo wo wo!
        Wito hu!

Ich kannte sie all', ich kannte sie wohl
Die Anne, die Ursel, die [Käth']³,
Die Liese, die Barbe, die Ev', die Beth';
Sie heulten im Kreise mich an.
    Wille wau wau wau! 
      Wille wo wo wo!
        Wito hu!

Da nannt' ich sie alle beim Namen laut:
Was willst du, Anne? was willst du, Beth?
[Da rüttelten sie sich, da schüttelten sie sich
Und liefen und heulten davon.]⁴
    Wille wau wau wau! 
      Wille wo wo wo!
        Wito hu!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Lachner • L. Spohr

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Goethe's Sämtliche Werke, Volume 1, Paris, Gedruckt bei Paul Renouard, Tétot Frères, 1836, page 28.

¹ Droste-Hülshoff: "schwarze liebe"
² Droste-Hülshoff: "Waren sieben"; Lachner: "Waren sieben, sieben"
³ Lachner: "Käthe"
⁴ Spohr: "Sie rüttelten sich, sie schüttelten sich,/ Und liefen heulend davon."

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Zigeunerlied", written 1771 [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 Ferruccio Busoni (1866 - 1924), "Zigeunerlied", op. 55 no. 2, published 1923 [sung text not yet checked]
by A. Crüger (flourished c1832), "Zigeunerlied", 1832 [sung text not yet checked]
by Annette Elisabeth, Freiin von Droste-Hülshoff (1797 - 1848), "Zigeunerlied", 1877 [sung text not yet checked]
by Heinrich Elkamp (1812 - 1868), "Im Nebelgeriesel", op. 5 (12 Lieder), Heft 1 no. 4, published 1834 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
by Iván Fischer (b. 1951), "Zigeunerlied", 2005 [ vocal sextet for female voices a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Eduard (Edward) Franz Carl Hubert Hartenfels (1810 - 1898), "Zigeunerlied" [sung text not yet checked]
by Moritz Hauptmann (1792 - 1868), "Zigeunerlied", op. 32 (6 vierstimmige Lieder für Sopran, Alt, Tenor und Bass) no. 2, published 1847 [ SATB quartet a cappella ], Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
by Hugo Kauder (1888 - 1972), "Zigeunerlied", 1931 [sung text not yet checked]
by Franz Paul Lachner (1803 - 1890), "Zigeunerlied", op. 136b [sung text checked 1 time]
by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Zigeunerlied", op. 120 no. 4 (1820-29), published 1873 [ vocal quartet for male voices ], from Vier Lieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867 - 1942), "Zigeunerlied", 1932 [ voice and piano ], from 2 Romantiska visor = 2 Romantic Songs, no. 1, Stockholm: Abr. Lundquists Musikförlag, also set in Swedish (Svenska) [sung text not yet checked]
by Louis [Ludwig] Spohr (1784 - 1859), "Zigeunerlied", op. 25 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 5 (1809) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger.

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

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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 146

Chanson tsigane

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Dans le brouillard ruisselant, dans la neige épaisse,
Dans la forêt sauvage, dans la nuit d'hiver,
J'entendais le hurlement des loups affamés,
J'entendais le ululement de la chouette,
Wille wau wau wau!
Wille wo wo wo!
Wito hu!

Un jour j'ai abattu un chat près de la clôture,
Celui de Anne, le chat noir de la sorcière;
Alors durant la nuit sept loups-garous vinrent à moi,
C'étaient sept femmes du village.
Wille wau wau wau!
Wille wo wo wo!
Wito hu!

Je les connaissais toutes, je les connaissais bien,
Anne, Ursel, Cath',
Liese, Barbe, Ev', Beth';
En cercle, elles hurlaient après moi.
Wille wau wau wau!
Wille wo wo wo!
Wito hu!

Alors à haute voix je les appelai par leurs noms:
Que veux-tu Anne? que veux-tu Beth'?
Elles se secouèrent, elles s'agitèrent
Et en hurlant partirent en courant.
Wille wau wau wau!
Wille wo wo wo!
Wito hu!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2009 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Zigeunerlied", written 1771
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-04-16
Line count: 28
Word count: 149