[Will ich in mein Gärtlein gehn]1,
Will [mein]2 Zwiebeln gießen;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
Fängt als an zu niesen.

Will ich in mein Küchel gehn,
Will mein Süpplein kochen;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
Hat mein Töpflein brochen.

Will ich in mein Stüblein gehn,
Will mein Müßlein essen;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
[Hats]3 schon halber gessen.

Will ich auf mein Boden gehn,
Will mein Hölzlein holen;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
Hat mirs halber g'stohlen.

Will ich in mein Keller gehn,
Will mein Weinlein zapfen;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
Thut mir'n Krug wegschnappen.

Setz ich mich ans Rädlein hin,
Will mein Fädlein drehen;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
Läßt mirs Rad nicht [gehen]4.

Geh ich in mein Kämmerlein,
Will mein Bettlein machen;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
Fängt als an zu lachen.

Wenn ich an mein Bänklein knie,
Will ein [bislein]5 beten;
Steht ein bucklicht Männlein da,
Fängt als an zu reden.

Liebes Kindlein, ach ich bitt,
Bet' für's bucklicht Männlein mit!

A. Zemlinsky sets stanzas 1-3, 6-9

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Taubert: "Wenn ich in mei' Gärtle geh'"; further changes may exist not noted above.
² Zemlinsky: "ich meine"
³ Zemlinsky: "Hat"
⁴ Zemlinsky: "laufen" although there is a footnote in the score indicating that the word is "gehen" in several editions
⁵ Zemlinsky: "wenig" although there is a footnote in the score indicating that the word is "bisslein" in several editions

Text Authorship:

• from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Das bucklige Männlein", appears in Des Knaben Wunderhorn [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 Hans Gál (1890 - 1987), "Das bucklige Männlein", 1930-1, published 1930-1 [ TTBB chorus a cappella ], from Sechs Volkslieder, no. 2, Kistner & Siegel, Leipzig [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hans Hermann (1870 - 1931), "Das buckliche Männlein", published 1898 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder aus der Jugendzeit für eine Singstimme und Pianoforte, no. 2, Magdeburg, Heinrichshofen Verlag ; title in English: "The naughty little imp" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Arnold Mendelssohn (1855 - 1933), "Das buckliges Männlein", published 1905 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hans Heinz Scholtys (1900 - 1945), "Will ich in mein Gärtlein geh'n" [ voice and piano ], from 94 Lieder, no. 94 [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Karl Gottfried) Wilhelm Taubert (1811 - 1891), "Das buckliche Männle", op. 185 no. 9, published 1878 [ voice and piano ], from Klänge aus der Kinderwelt, Heft XII, no. 9, Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
• by Julius Weismann (1879 - 1950), "Das bucklicht Männlein", op. 29 (Acht Wunderhornlieder) no. 5 (1906/10) [ duet ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942), "Das bucklichte Männlein", op. 22 (Sechs Lieder) no. 6 (1934), published c1977, stanzas 1-3,6-9 [ soprano and piano ], Hillsdale, N. Y. : Mobart Music Publications [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The hunchbacked little man", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English [singable] (Maurice Wright) , "The gnome", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le p'tit bossu", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 34
Word count: 172

When I want to go into my garden
In order to water my onions,
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who begins to sneeze.

When I want to go into my kitchen
In order to cook my soup,
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who has broken my pot.

When I want to go into my parlour
In order to eat my cereal,
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who has already eaten half of it.

If I want to go up to my attic
In order to get some wood,
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who has stolen half of it.

If I want to go to my cellar
In order to tap some wine;
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who snatches my jug.

If I sit down at my spinning wheel
In order to spin my thread,
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who prevents my wheel from turning.

If I go into my chamber
In order to make my bed,
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who begins to laugh.

When I kneel down beside my bench
In order to pray a bit,
There's a hunchbacked little man standing there
Who begins to speak:

"Dear little child, ah, I beg,
Pray as well for the little hunchbacked man."