Le chant des mouettes | Les mouettes ont toutes l'air

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.

If you wish to reprint translations, please use the Reprint Basket (upper right hand corner).

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

by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Möwenlied

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: FRE

Die Möwen sehen alle aus,
als ob sie Emma hießen.
Sie tragen einen weißen Flaus
und sind mit Schrot zu schießen.

Ich schieße keine Möwe tot,
Ich laß sie lieber leben --
und füttre sie mit Roggenbrot
und rötlichen Zibeben.

O Mensch, du wirst nie nebenbei
der Möwe Flug erreichen.
Wofern du Emma heißest, sei
zufrieden, ihr zu gleichen.

Text Authorship:

by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Möwenlied", appears in Galgenlieder [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Möwenlied", 2013 [ tenor and piano ], from Zwölf Morgenstern-Lieder , no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Richard Farber (b. 1945), "Möwenlied", from Galgenlieder, no. 58 [sung text not yet checked]
by Jacqueline Fontyn (b. 1930), "Möwenlied", 2005 [ contralto or piano, viola or violoncello, and piano ], from Mouettes, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Derek Healey (b. 1936), "Möwenlied", op. 129 no. 5 (2011) [ contralto, alto saxophone, and piano ], from Morgenstern Lieder, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
by Alfred Schuster (1910 - 1980), "Möwenlied", 1947 [ voice and piano ], from Galgenlieder nach Gedichten von Christian Morgenstern, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Katrin Weber , "Möwenlied" [sung text not yet checked]

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

FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le chant des mouettes", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2004-12-01
Line count: 12
Word count: 58

Le chant des mouettes

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Remove this translation from the Basket

Les mouettes ont toutes l'air
de s'appeler Emma.
Elles portent un pilou blanc
et se font tirer au plomb.

Je n'ai pas abattu une seule mouette,
je préfère les laisser vivre --
et les nourris de pain de seigle
et de raisins noirs de Smyrne.

De plus, ô, homme, jamais
tu n'accéderas au vol de la mouette.
Mais si tu t'appelles Emma,
réjouis-toi de lui ressembler.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Möwenlied", appears in Galgenlieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-08-26
Line count: 12
Word count: 65