A steel button | It was a steel button during the season

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by Hans Bötticher (1883 - 1934)

Translation © by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947)

Ein Stahlknopf

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Es war ein Stahlknopf irgendwo,
Der ohne Grund sein Knopfloch floh.
(Vulgär gesprochen: Es stand offen.)
Ihm sass ein Fräulein vis-à-vis.
Das lachte plötzlich: Hi hi hi.
Da fühlte sich der Knopf getroffen
Und drehte stumm
Sich um.

Solch' Peinlichkeiten sind halt nur
Die schlimmen Folgen der Kultur.

Text Authorship:

by Hans Bötticher (1883 - 1934), "Ein Stahlknopf", appears in Die Schnupftabacksdose - Stumpfsinn in Versen, first published 1912 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Ein Stahlknopf", 2009 [ medium voice and piano ], from Ringelnatz in dreiviertel Takt, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "A steel button", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-02-02
Line count: 10
Word count: 48

A steel button

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

It was a steel button during the season,
Which shunned its buttonhole without reason.
(Said vulgarly: "it" was open.)
He sat vis-à-vis a certain Miss;
"Ha ha ha!" did she suddenly hiss!
The button felt damp, then wet,
For his stainless regret
Was steely upset.

Such little pains are mere nomenclature
For the terrible consequences of nature.

Text Authorship:

by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "A steel button", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hans Bötticher (1883 - 1934), "Ein Stahlknopf", appears in Die Schnupftabacksdose - Stumpfsinn in Versen, first published 1912
- Go to the text page.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-02-02
Line count: 10
Word count: 57