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"O Bänkelsänger Willie! Du ziehst zum Jahrmarkt aus; Du willst deine Geige verkaufen; O Willie, bleibe zu Haus!" Doch wie man für die Geige Schon blankes Silber ihm reicht, Da wird dem armen Willie Das Auge von Thränen feucht. "O Willie, verkauf' deine Geige, Verkauf' mir die Geige fein! O Willie, verkauf' deine Geige Und kauf' dir ein Schöppchen Wein!" Nein! nimmer verkauf' ich die Geige! Mich träfe zu harter Schlag: Ich hatte mit meiner Geige Schon manchen glücklichen Tag. "Jüngst lugt' ich in der Schenke; Sie saßen um den Tisch, Und obenan saß Willie, Und sang und geigte frisch. Sie lauschten seinen Tönen; Wie glühte jedes Gesicht! -- O Bänkelsänger Willie, Verkauf deine Geige nicht!"
Confirmed with Robert Burns’ Gedichte, deutsch von W. Gerhard, Leipzig: Verlag von Joh. Ambr. Barth., 1840, pages 102-103
Authorship
- by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858), "Bänkelsänger Willie" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Rattlin, Roarin Willie"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Bänkelsänger Willie", op. posth. 146 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 4)) no. 2 (1849), published 1860 [ SATB chorus ], Elberfeld, Arnold [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Willie, el cantant de fira", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Kermiszanger Willie", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Ballad-monger Willie", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Dr. Gerrit den Hartogh , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2004-07-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 116
“Oh, Willie, cantant de fira! Tu vas al mercat; vols vendre el teu violí; oh Willie, queda’t a casa!” Però com que per al violí ja li ofereixen brillants monedes de plata, els ulls del pobre Willie s’omplen de llàgrimes. “Oh Willie, ven el teu violí, ven-me el teu bonic violí! Oh Willie, ven el teu violí i compra’t una garrafa de vi!” No! Mai vendré el meu violí! Seria un cop massa dur; amb el meu violí he passat molts dies feliços. “Fa poc he mirat a dintre la taverna, tots seien al voltant de la taula, i al cap seia en Willie, i amb tremp cantava i tocava el violí. Tots escoltaven les seves melodies, com refulgien tots els rostres! – Oh Willie, cantant de fira, no venguis el teu violí!”
Authorship
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2021 by Salvador Pila, (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:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780 - 1858), "Bänkelsänger Willie"
- a text in Scottish (Scots) by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Rattlin, Roarin Willie"
This text was added to the website: 2021-01-09
Line count: 24
Word count: 133