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Grabe, Spaden, grabe! Alles, was ich habe, Dank' ich, Spaden, dir! Reich' und arme Leute Werden meine Beute, Kommen einst zu mir! Weiland groß und edel, Nickte dieser Schädel Keinem Grusse Dank! Dieses Beingerippe Ohne Wang' und Lippe Hatte Gold und Rang. Jener Kopf mit Haaren War vor wenig Jahren Schön, wie Engel sind! Tausend junge Fentchen Leckten ihm das Händchen, Gafften sich halb blind! Grabe, Spaden, grabe! Alles, was ich habe, Dank' ich, Spaden, dir! Reich' und arme Leute Werden meine Beute, Kommen einst zu mir!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Gedichte von Ludewig Heinrich Christoph Hölty. Besorgt durch seine Freunde Friederich Leopold Grafen zu Stolberg und Johann Heinrich Voß. Hamburg, bei Carl Ernst Bohn. 1783, pages 44-45, with Poetische Blumenlese für das Jahr 1777. Herausgegeben von Joh. Heinr. Voß. Hamburg, bey Carl Ernst Bohn, pages 60-61, and with Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty's Sämtliche Werke kritisch und chronologisch herausgegeben von Wilhelm Michael, Erster Band, Weimar, Gesellschaft der Bibliophilen, 1914, page 195.
Note: Modern spelling would change "Spaden" to "Spaten" (line 1-1) and "Fentchen" to "Fäntchen" (line 3-4)
Text Authorship:
- by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Todtengräberlied", written 1775, first published 1777 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788), "Totengräberlied", Wq 200 no. 1 (1788-1789) [ voice and piano or harpsichord or organ ], from Neue Lieder-Melodien, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wilhelm Reinhard Berger (1861 - 1911), "Lied des Todtengräbers", op. 11 (Vier Lieder für 1 Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1883 [ bass or baritone and piano ], Bremen, Praeger & Meier [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Blasser , "Todtengräberlied", op. 20 (Hölty-Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte), Heft 1 no. 3, published 1880 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Kratochwill [sung text not yet checked]
- by J. J. Grünwald (flourished 1780), "Das Totengräberlied", published 1785 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Ferdinand Halter (1750 - 1806), "Totengräberlied", published 1782 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Karl) Emil Kauffmann (1836 - 1909), "Lied eines Todtengräbers", op. 2 (4 Lieder) no. 4, published 1864 [ alto or low baritone and piano ], Stuttgart, Zumsteeg [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Xaver Mozart (1791 - 1844), "Todtengräberlied", 1810 [ voice and piano ], from Acht Deutsche Lieder, no. 5, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Totengräberlied", D 38 (1813), published 1892 [ vocal trio for 2 tenors and bass ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Totengräberlied", D 44 (1813), published 1894 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Christian Sinding (1856 - 1941), "Totengräberlied", op. 11 (Lieder und Gesänge) no. 6 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Doodgraverslied", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Grave-digger's song", copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "Dig! And, Spade, keep diggin'!", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 87
Dig, spade, dig! Everything that I have I thank you for, spade! Both rich and poor people Will be my prey, Will come one day to me. Formerly great and noble, this skull nodded no return of greetings. This skeleton without cheeks and lips had once gold and rank. That head with hair Was just a few years ago beautiful, as angels are. A thousand young fops licked his hands, and gaped themselves half blind. Dig, spade, dig! Everything that I have I thank you for, spade! Both rich and poor people Will be my prey, Will come one day to me.
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 ArchiveFor 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 Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Todtengräberlied", written 1775, first published 1777
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 102