Schwalbe, sag mir an,
Ist's dein alter Mann
Mit dem du's Nest gebaut,
Oder hast du jüngst erst
Dich ihm vertraut?

Sag', was zwitschert ihr, 
Sag', was flüstert ihr
Des Morgens so vertraut?
Gelt, du bist wohl auch noch 
Nicht lange Braut?

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Gedichte von O. F. Gruppe, Gedruckt und verlegt bei G. Reimer, 1835, p. 55.

Text Authorship:

• by Otto Friedrich Gruppe (1804 - 1876), no title, first published 1835 [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Das Mädchen spricht", op. 107 (Fünf Lieder) no. 3 (1886), published 1888 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La donzella parla", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Het meisje spreekt", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The maiden speaks", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La fille dit", copyright © 2008, (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: 10
Word count: 42