Als ich noch ein Knabe war,
Sperrte man mich ein;
Und so saß ich manches Jahr
Über mir allein, 
Wie im Mutterleib.

Doch du warst mein Zeitvertreib,
Goldne Phantasie,
Und ich [ward]1 ein warmer Held,
Wie der Prinz Pipi,
Und durchzog die Welt.

Baute manch kristallen Schloß
Und zerstört es auch,
Warf mein blinkendes Geschoß
Drachen durch den Bauch,
Ja, ich war ein Mann!

Ritterlich befreit ich dann
Die Prinzessin Fisch;
Sie war gar zu obligeant,
Führte mich zu Tisch,
Und ich war galant.

Und ihr Kuß war [Himmelsbrod]2,
Glühend wie der Wein.
Ach! Ich liebte fast mich todt!
Rings mit Sonnenschein
War sie emailliert.

Ach wer hat sie mir entführt?
Hielt kein Zauberband
[Ihr verräthrisch]3 Fliehn?
Sagt, wo ist ihr Land?
Wo der Weg dahin?

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Krenek, Schröter (?): "war"
² Krenek, Wolf: "Götterbrot"; Schröter spells it "Himmelsbrot"
³ Krenek, Schröter, Wolf: "Sie zurück vom schnellen"

Text Authorship:

• by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Der neue Amadis", written c1770, first published 1775 [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 Armin Knab (1881 - 1951), "Der neue Amadis", 1924-46 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Lieder nach Gedichten von J. W. von Goethe, no. 11 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ernst Křenek (1900 - 1991), "Der neue Amadis", op. 56 (Drei Gesänge für Bariton und Klavier) no. 2 (1927) [ baritone and piano ], Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Der neue Amadis", published 1809 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Corona Elisabeth Wilhelmine Schröter (1751 - 1802), "Jugendlied", 1786, published 1786 [ voice and piano ], from Fünf und Zwanzig Lieder. In Musik gesezt von Corona Schröter. [Erste Sammlung], no. 25, Weimar: Annoch bey mir selbst, und in Commission in der Hoffmannischen Buchhandlung [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Der neue Amadis", 1889, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 23, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758 - 1832), "Der neue Amadis", published 1786 [sung text not yet checked]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "When I was still a boy", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le nouvel Amadis", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRL Friulian (Ermes Culos) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Il nuovo Amadis", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 30
Word count: 126

When I was still a boy,
they locked me in;
and so I sat for many years
alone with myself,
as I was in my mother's womb.

But you were my diversion,
golden fantasy;
and I [became]1 an ardent hero,
like the Prince Pipi,
and I wandered the world.

I built many a crystal castle
and destroyed some as well;
I threw my glittering javelin
at dragons, through their bellies;
yes, I was a man!

Chivalrously I freed then
the Princess Fish;
she was all too obliging,
and led me to her table,
and I was gallant.

And her kiss was the food of gods,
glowing like the wine.
Ah! I loved her almost to death!
Surrounded with sunshine
she was like enamel.

Alas! who has abducted her?
Did not some magic ribbon
pull her back from her swift flight?
Tell me, where is her land?
Where is the path to it?