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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), as Willibald Alexis
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Liebe Mutter, heut' Nacht heulte Regen...
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE ITA
"Liebe Mutter, heut' Nacht heulte Regen und Wind."--
""['s ist heute]1 der erste Mai, liebes Kind!""

"Liebe Mutter, es donnerte auf dem Brocken [oben]2!"--
""[Lieb's]3 Kind, es waren die Hexen [droben]4.""--

"Liebe Mutter, ich möcht' keine Hexen sehn."
""[Lieb's]3  Kind, es ist wohl schon oft geschehn.""

"Liebe Mutter, ob wohl im Dorf' Hexen sind?"--
""Sie sind Dir wohl näher, mein liebes Kind.""--

"[Ach]5 Mutter, worauf fliegen die Hexen zum Berg?"
""[Lieb's]3 Kind, auf dem Rauche von [glühendem]6 Werg.""

"[Ach]5 Mutter, worauf reiten die Hexen zum Spiel?"
""[Lieb's]3 Kind, sie reiten auf 'nem Besenstiel.""

"[Ach]5 Mutter, ['s standen]7 gestern im Dorf' viel Besen!"
""Es sind auch viel Hexen auf'm Brocken gewesen. ""

"[Ach]5 Mutter, [die Nacht hat's]8 im Schornstein geraucht!"
""[Lieb's]3 Kind, es hat einer das Werg gebraucht.""

"[Ach]5 Mutter, [die]9 Nacht war Dein Besen nicht zu Haus!"
""[Lieb's]3, so war er zum Blocksberg hinaus.""

"[Ach]5 Mutter, Dein Bett war leer in der Nacht!"
""Deine Mutter hat oben [auf'm Brocken]10 gewacht.""

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   C. Loewe 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Willibald Alexis, "Über Balladenpoesie", in Hermes oder kritisches Jahrbuch der Literatur , Erstes Stück für das Jahr 1824, Volume XXI, Leipzig: F.A. Brockhaus, 1824, pages 107-108.

1 Loewe: "Ist heute"
2 Loewe: "droben"
3 Loewe: "Liebes"
4 Loewe: "oben"
5 Loewe: "Ach"
6 Loewe: "heissem"
7 Loewe: "ich sah"
8 Loewe: "'s hat gestern"
9 Loewe: "in der"
10 Loewe: "auf dem Blocksberg"

Text Authorship:

  • by Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), as Willibald Alexis, no title [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 Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Walpurgisnacht", op. 2 no. 3 (1824) [sung text checked 1 time]

Set in a modified version by Johannes Brahms.

  • Go to the text. [ view differences ] CAT DUT ENG

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

  • ENG English (Lawrence Snyder) , "Walpurgis Night", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Nuit de Walpurgis", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Notte di Valpurga", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Lawrence Snyder , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 183

Nuit de Walpurgis
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Chère Mère, cette nuit la pluie et le vent hurlent.
«Aujourd'hui, c'est le premier Mai, chère enfant !»

Chère Mère, il y a le tonnerre au-dessus du Brocken.
«Chère enfant, il y a des sorcières en haut.»

Chère Mère, je ne veux voir aucune sorcière.
«Chère enfant, elles sont là très souvent.»

Chère Mère, y-a-t-il des sorcières dans le village ?
«Elles sont tout près de toi, ma chère enfant.»

Ah, Mère, sur quoi volent-elles jusqu'à la montagne ?
«Sur le brouillard, sur la fumée, sur de l'étoupe enflammée.»

Ah, Mère, que chevauchent-elles en jouant ?
«Elles chevauchent, elles chevauchent le manche du balai.»

Ah, Mère, que balaient-elles dans le village ?
«Il y a aussi beaucoup de sorcières en haut dans la montagne.»

Ah, Mère, qu'est-ce qui a craqué dans la cheminée ?
«Il y en a une qui s'est envolée dehors dans la nuit.»

Ah, Mère, le  balai n'était pas à la maison la nuit dernière.
«Chère enfant,   il était en haut sur la Brocken.»

Ah, Mère, ton lit était vide la nuit dernière.
«Ta mère veillait en haut sur la montagne.»

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2009 by Guy Laffaille, (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 Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), as Willibald Alexis, no title
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2009-12-22
Line count: 20
Word count: 179

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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