by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: FRE
Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder, Zwei Kinder, klein und froh; Wir krochen ins Hühnerhäuschen, Versteckten uns unter das Stroh. Wir krähten wie die Hähne, Und kamen Leute vorbei - "Kikereküh!" sie glaubten, Es wäre Hahnengeschrei. Die Kisten auf unserem Hofe, Die tapezierten wir aus, Und wohnten drin beisammen, Und machten ein vornehmes Haus. Des Nachbars alte Katze Kam öfters zum Besuch; Wir machten ihr Bückling' und Knickse Und Komplimente genug. Wir haben nach ihrem Befinden Besorglich und freundlich gefragt; Wir haben seitdem dasselbe Mancher alten Katze gesagt. Wir saßen auch oft und sprachen Vernünftig, wie alte Leut', Und klagten, wie alles besser Gewesen zu unserer Zeit; Wie Lieb' und Treu' und Glauben Verschwunden aus der Welt, Und wie so teuer der Kaffee, Und wie so rar das Geld! --- Vorbei sind die Kinderspiele, Und alles rollt vorbei - Das Geld und die Welt und die Zeiten, Und Glauben und Lieb' und Treu'.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 38 [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 Theodor Borchers , "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder", from Zwei Gedichte von Heine, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Bruhn (b. 1934), "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder" [ voice and orchestra ], from Heine-Lieder, no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Kinderspiele", op. 60 (Drei Heine-Lieder) no. 1 (1929), published 1933 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Don Forsythe (1932 - 2015), "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder", published c2004 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Friz , "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder" [ voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Gardiner Hammond (1874 - 1945), "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder", published 1903-9, from Heine Songs, no. 7, also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
- by Walter Thomas Heyn (b. 1953), "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder", op. 63 (Lebensgruß : 10 Lieder nach Texten von Heinrich Heine) no. 2, published c2003 [ voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by K. Leszinsky (1886 - 1927), "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Roland Moser (b. 1943), "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder", published 1985, from Heinelieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ulrich Türk (b. 1955), "Mein Kind, wir waren Kinder: Kinderlied", published 1991 [ voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Kinderzeit", published 1851, from Die Heimkehr : 88 Gedichte aus H. Heine's Reisebildern, no. 38 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887) , appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine ; composed by William Gardiner Hammond.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) , no title, appears in Last Poems, in Paraphrases on Heine, no. 3
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Mon enfant, nous étions enfants", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-24
Line count: 32
Word count: 149
My child, we were two children
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
My child, we were two children. Small, merry by childhood's law; We used to crawl to the hen-house And hide ourselves in the straw. We crowed like cocks, and whenever The passers near us drew -- "Cock-a-doodle!" they thought 'Twas a real cock that crew. The boxes about our courtyard We carpeted to our mind, And lived there both together -- Kept house in a noble kind. The neighbour's old cat often Came to pay us a visit; We made her a bow and curtsey1, Each with a compliment in it. After her health we asked. Our care and regard to evince -- (We have made the very same speeches To many an old cat since). We also sate and wisely Discoursed, as old folks do, Complaining how all went better In those good old times we knew; -- How love, and truth, and believing Had left the world to itself, And how so dear was the coffee. And how so rare was the pelf. The children's games are over. The rest is over with youth -- The world, the good games, the good times, The belief, and the love, and the truth.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 in some editions this is spelled "courtesy"
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Last Poems, in Paraphrases on Heine, no. 3 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 38
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-05-12
Line count: 32
Word count: 190