Could a child forget his mother's song? | Could a child forget his mother's song

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Vergäß' ein Kind der Mutter Lied?

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Vergäß' ein Kind der Mutter Lied, 
Ob's längst sein Haus gebaut? 
O nein! durch's tiefste Herz noch zieht
Der Klang wie einst so traut!

Und Segen quillt um Segen draus
Mild wie des Himmels Thau,
Und schmückt und ziert des Kindes Haus, 
Wie Maiengrün die Au. 

Dann kehrt zurück er unbeirrt
In's Mutterhaus, drin, ach! 
Es stiller, immer stiller wird 
Und einsam allgemach. 

Doch, wie durchweht vom Blüthenhauch, 
Durchstrahlt von Maienschein, 
O! wird's, ob still und einsam auch, 
Nur doppelt glücklich sein!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 268.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Vergäß' ein Kind der Mutter Lied?", appears in Liederbuch, in 3. Hauslieder, no. 300 [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):

[ None yet in the database ]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Could a child forget his mother's song?", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-02-07
Line count: 16
Word count: 82

Could a child forget his mother's song?

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Could a child forget his mother's song
Though he has long built his [own] house?
Oh no! the sound of it still passes 
Through his heart as familiarly as of yore!

And from it, gentle as the dew of heaven,
Blessing upon blessing flows,
And adorns and ornaments the child's house
As the verdure of May adorns the meadow.

Then, unwaveringly, he returns 
To his mother's house, in which, alas!
It gradually grows quieter, 
Ever quieter, and [more] lonely.

But, as if the breath of blossoms were wafting through him,
[As if] the radiance of May were shining through him,
Oh! though he be quiet and lonely,
He shall only become doubly happy!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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 Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Vergäß' ein Kind der Mutter Lied?", appears in Liederbuch, in 3. Hauslieder, no. 300
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-06-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 113