Und der Engel sprach und gab sich Müh
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: ENG FRE FRE ITA
Und der Engel sprach und gab sich Müh
an dem Mann, der seine Fäuste ballte:
Aber siehst du nicht an jeder Falte,
daß sie kühl ist wie die Gottesfrüh.
Doch der andre sah ihn finster an,
murmelnd nur: Was hat sie so verwandelt?
Doch da schrie der Engel: Zimmermann,
merkst du's noch nicht, daß der Herrgott handelt?
Weil du Bretter machst, in deinem Stolze,
willst du wirklich den zu Rede stelln,
der bescheiden aus dem gleichen Holze
Blätter treiben macht und Knospen schwelln?
Er begriff. Und wie er jetzt die Blicke,
recht erschrocken, zu dem Engel hob,
war der fort. Da schob er seine dicke
Mütze langsam ab. Dann sang er lob.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Maria Bach (1896 - 1978), "Argwohn Josephs", 1950-65 [ soprano and piano ], from Das Marienleben, no. 3, Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "Argwohn Josephs", op. 27 no. 5 (1922-3), rev. 1948, from Das Marienleben, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Carl Rütti (b. 1949), "Argwohn Joseph's", 1991 [ mezzo-soprano, harp and piano ], from Das Marien-Leben, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Stadlmair (1929 - 2019), "Argwohn Josefs", 1998 [ soprano and hammered dulcimer ], from Mirjam, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , "Joseph's suspicion", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Joseph le soupçonneux", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Suspicion de Joseph", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Il dubbio di Giuseppe", copyright © 2009, (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: 16
Word count: 112
Joseph's suspicion
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
And the angel spoke and took trouble
over the man, who clenched his fists:
"But can't you see in every bit of her being
that she is as cool as a heavenly morning?"
Yet the man looked darkly at the angel,
grumbling only: "What has changed her?"
Then the angel shouted: "Carpenter,
don't you see yet that God is at work here?
"Because you shape boards, in your pride,
are you really going to argue with the One
who modestly, from the same wood,
can make leaves emerge and blossoms bud?"
He understood. And now as he raised,
quite fearfully, his eyes to the angel,
it was gone. And he slowly took
his thick cap off. Then he sang praise.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2011 by John Glenn Paton, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2011-12-24
Line count: 16
Word count: 120