by Heinrich Laube (1806 - 1884)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Bei der Flasche
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE
Wo gibt es wohl noch Jägerei,
Als wie im deutschen Land?
Der Franzos' hat sein Land überlichtet,
Nichts schonend die Jagd sich vernichtet,
Schiesst singende Vögel, der Fant!

In Engelland, da ist nichts mehr,
Als [nur]1 das Huhn zu Haus;
Fabriken klappern und stampfen,
Maschinen hämmern und dampfen,
Das hält kein Wildpret aus.

Die Füchse borgen sie von uns
Zur Hatz über Hecken und Feld:
Das ist ein Reiter-Vergnügen,
Die Jagd liegt in letzten Zügen,
Wenn Deutschland sie nicht erhält.

Die ernste strenge Jägerei,
Die kennen wir allein,
In Wald und Feld zu leben,
Vertieft in Ursprungs-Weben,
Ist deutsches Jagdgedeihn.

So trinkt darauf ein volles Glas:
Es lebe deutsche Jagd!
[Jene Lust, die Träume spinnende]2,
Und die Kunst, die Taten [sinnende]3
Die uns so wohl behagt!

Sie übt die Seele, übt die Hand,
Nährt Frische, Kraft und Mut:
Wenn's gilt das Reich zu wahren,
Wir sind in [Waffen]4 erfahren,
Hoch! [tapf'res]5 Jägerblut!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Schumann 

R. Schumann sets stanzas 1-2, 4-6

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Schumann: "wie"
2 Schumann: "In Lust die Träume spinnend"
3 Schumann: "sinnend"
4 Schumann: "Waffen wohl"
5 Schumann: "deutsches"

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Bij de fles", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "At the Bottle", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "À la bouteille", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-10-05
Line count: 30
Word count: 158

At the Bottle
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Where can one still find hunting
But in the German land!
The French have cleared their land to excess;
Conserving nothing, they have destroyed the hunt,
They shoot songbirds, the braggarts.
 
In England, nothing but
A chicken feels at home;
Factories rattle and pound,
Machines hammer and steam.
No wild game can tolerate that.
 
They borrow from us the foxes
To chivvy them over hedges and fields:
That is [nothing but] an amusement for riders.
The hunt would be on its deathbed
If Germany did not preserve it.
 
The serious, demanding hunt,
We alone know it,
To live in the forest and field,
Immersed in the weavings of our origins,
Thus thrives the German hunt.
 
So drink a full glass to that;
Long live the German hunt!
[That zest that spins dreams]1,
[And that art that ponders deeds]2,
That we enjoy so well.
 
Hunting strengthens the soul, strengthens the hand,
It promotes freshness, strength and courage:
When it becomes necessary to protect the empire,
We [have]3 experience with weapons.
[Long live the gallant]4 huntsman stock!

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Schumann: "Spinning dreams in zest"
2 Schumann: "And pondering the art [of hunting] and the deed"
3 Schumann: "have plenty of"
4 Schumann: "High German"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2009 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:

 

This text was added to the website: 2009-10-06
Line count: 30
Word count: 181