When I swore faithfulness to my husband

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by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Als ich meinem Mann die Treue schwur

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Als ich meinem Mann die Treue schwur.
Da dacht ich nicht dran im Moment,
Daß ich ihn aus den Augen verlieren 
Und sein Gesicht vergessen könnt. 

Und als ich ihm zwei Kinder gebar 
Da hatt ich mir nicht vorgestellt 
Daß mich mein Mann verlassen würd 
Und zög für den Kaiser ins Feld.

Als ich mich ihm verschrieben 
Da war es nicht so gemeint 
Daß ich nicht zu essen hätte 
Und er schlüg des Kaisers Feind. 

Die einen solchen Krieg anstiften 
Die müßte man am Kopfe haun 
Daß sie sich die Menschen künftig 
Etwas besser anschaun.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Die Gedichte von Bertolt Brecht in einem Band, neunte Auflage, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1997, page 396.

Text Authorship:

by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), "Lied der Kriegerwitwe", appears in Zu dem Stück »Kamrad Kaspar« [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 Hanns Eisler (1898 - 1962), "Lied der Mariken", 1930-32, published 1959, first performed 1932 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig: VEB Breitkopf & Härtel, [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2025, (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: 2025-01-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 95

When I swore faithfulness to my husband

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

When I swore faithfulness to my husband,
I did not think in that moment
That I could lose sight of him
And could forget his face.

And when I bore him two children
I did not imagine
That my husband would leave me
And go into the battlefield for the Emperor.

When I dedicated myself to him
I did not intend
That I would have nothing to eat
And that he would vanquish the Emperor's enemies.

Those who incite such a war,
One should hit them over the head
So that in future they would 
Take a somewhat closer look at the people.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Lied der Kriegerwitwe" = "Song of the soldier's widow"
"Lied der Mariken" = "Song of Mariken"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), "Lied der Kriegerwitwe", appears in Zu dem Stück »Kamrad Kaspar«
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-01-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 103