by Felix Ludwig Julius Dahn (1834 - 1912)
Translation Singable translation by John Bernhoff (flourished 1890-1912)

Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann, daß ich...
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA
Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann, daß ich Geld und Gut nicht habe,
Sonst spannt' ich gleich vier Schimmel an und führ' zu dir im Trabe.
Ich putzte sie mit Schellen aus, daß du mich [hörtest]1 von weitem,
Ich steckt' [ein]2 großen Rosenstrauß an meine linke Seiten.
Und käm' ich an dein kleines Haus, thät' ich mit der Peitsche schlagen:
Da gucktest du zum Fenster 'naus: "Was willst du?" thätst du fragen.
"Was soll der großen Rosenstrauß, die Schimmel an dem Wagen?["]
"Dich will ich," rief' ich, "komm heraus!" Da thätst du nimmer fragen.
"Nun, Vater, Mutter, seht sie an und küßt sie rasch zum Scheiden,
Weil ich nicht lange warten kann, meine Schimmel [wollen's]3 nicht leiden."

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Strauss 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Felix Dahn's Sämtliche Werke poetischen Inhalts, Band XVI, Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, 1898, page 69.

1 Strauss: "hört'st"
2 Strauss: "ein'n"
3 Strauss: "wolln's"

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 © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
  • ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff) , "Ah woe is me, unhappy man!", first published 1897
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 119

Ah woe is me, unhappy man!
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Ah woe is me, unhappy man! for I've nought: no lands, no money,
Else I would harness four horses strong and drive to thee, my honey.
I'd deck them each with silver bells, that you should hear me coming;
I'd wear a bunch of roses red, wet with the dew of morning.
Arriving at your cottage door, I would crack my whip and dismount there,
You'd ope' the window then, and ask: "Your errand, what d'you want, Sir?"
["]What means that bunch of flow'rs, the car, and horses?" you would ask me.
"You I want, sweetheart, come to me!" No more then you would task me.
Now, father, mother, kiss your child once more, we must be parting;
I cannot tarry long, farewell, for my horses would be starting.

Note: At the end of the song Strauss repeats the first line of the poem and Bernhoff translates it differently the second time: "Ah, woe, is me, unhappy man, neither gold, nor wealth, have I."

Text Authorship:

Based on:

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 page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-03-30
Line count: 10
Word count: 129