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Es war einmal ein König, Der hatt' einen [großen Floh,]1 Den liebt' er gar nicht wenig, [Als]2 wie seinen eig'nen Sohn. Da rief er seinen Schneider, Der Schneider kam heran; ["Da, miß dem Junker Kleider Und miß ihm Hosen an!"]3 In Sammet und in Seide War er [nun]4 angetan, Hatte Bänder auf dem Kleide, Hatt' auch ein Kreuz daran, Und war [sogleich]5 Minister, Und hatt einen großen Stern. Da wurden seine Geschwister Bei Hof auch große Herrn. Und Herrn und Frau'n am Hofe, Die waren sehr geplagt, Die Königin und die Zofe Gestochen und [genagt,]6 Und durften [sie nicht knicken,]7 Und [weg sie]8 jucken nicht. Wir [knicken]9 und ersticken Doch gleich, wenn einer sticht.10
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Walter: "Skorpion"
2 Walter: "Fast"
3 Walter: "Und maß dem Junker Kleider / Und ein paar Höschen an."
4 Walter: "bald"
5 Walter: "zugleich"
6 Walter: "zernagt"
7 Walter: "doch nicht zwicken"
8 Walter: "auch sich"
9 Walter: "drücken"
10 Here Röntgen has the chorus sing the following (the last two lines come from later in the same scene):
Wir knicken und ersticken Doch gleich wenn einer sticht. Uns ist ganz kannibalisch wohl, Als wie fünfhundert Säuen!
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I) [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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "Aus Goethe's Faust", op. 75 no. 3 (1809) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ferruccio Busoni (1866 - 1924), "Lied des Mephistopheles aus Goethes Faust", published 1964 [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 2 times]
- by Zdenko Antonín Václav Fibich (1850 - 1900), "Altes Lied", 1869 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Kienzl (1857 - 1941), "Mephistopheles' Lied in Auerbachs Keller", op. 25 (Drei Lieder für Bass-Stimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1881 [ bass and piano ], Kassel, Voigt [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Justus Amadeus Lecerf (1789 - 1868), "Lied des Mephistopheles unter den lustigen Gesellen in Auerbachs Keller", published 1835? [ voice and piano ], from Neun Gesänge zu Goethe's Faust, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leopold Lenz (1803 - 1862), "Lied des Mephistopheles in Auerbachs Keller", op. 14, Heft 2 no. 2, published 1833 [ voice and piano ], from Gesänge und Lieder aus der Tragödie Faust von Goethe, no. 5, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antoni Henryk Radziwill, Fürst (1775 - 1833), "Lied des Mephistopheles", published 1835, from Compositionen zu Göthe's Faust, no. 14, Berlin: Zum ausschliesslichen Debit in Commission bei T. Trautwein, Buch-und Musikhandlung [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Julius Röntgen (1855 - 1932), "Es war einmal ein König", 1931 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra, and organ ], from Aus Goethes Faust, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Adele Sachsse (1854 - 1909), "Es war einmal ein König", published 1880 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sieben Lieder für 1 Mittelstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 4, Berlin, Challier & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Sakolowski (1872 - 1913), "Lied des Mephistopheles", published 1901 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge für 1 Singstime mit Pianoforte , no. 10, Leipzig, Salzer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Margarete Schweikert (1887 - 1957), "Es war einmal ein König", op. 11 (Vier Gedichte von Goethe) no. 4 (1916?), published 1918 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Siebmann , "Es war einmal ein König", op. 60 (Sechs Lieder) no. 3, published 1880 [ alto or baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans August Friedrich Zincke genannt Sommer (1837 - 1922), "König und Floh" [ voice and orchestra ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883), "Lied des Mephistopheles I", op. 5 no. 4, WWV 15 no. 4 (1831-2), from Sieben Kompositionen zu Goethes Faust, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Johann) Ignaz Walter (1755 - 1822), "Gesang des Leviathan", 1797 [sung text checked 1 time]
Set in a modified version by Conradin Kreutzer.
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855) , appears in Le Faust de Goethe ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Aleksandr Nikolayevich Strugovshchikov (1809 - 1878) [an adaptation] ; composed by Modest Petrovich Musorgsky.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "There once was a king", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Angelika Frenzel) , "Chanson de la puce", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Canzone della Pulce", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , copyright © 2023, (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: 24
Word count: 114
There once was a king who had a large flea whom he loved not a bit less than his very own son. He called his tailor and the tailor came directly; "Here - make clothing for this knight, and cut him trousers too!" In silk and satin was the flea now made up; he had ribbons on his clothing, and he had also a cross there, and had soon become a minister and had a large star. Then his siblings became great lords and ladies of the court as well. And the lords and ladies of the court were greatly plagued; the queen and her ladies-in-waiting were pricked and bitten, and they dared not flick or scratch them away. But we flick and crush them as soon as one bites!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I)
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 129