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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.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Die heiligen drei König mit ihrem Stern
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE ITA
Die heiligen drei König mit ihrem Stern,
Sie essen, sie trinken, und bezahlen nicht gern;
Sie essen gern, sie trinken gern,
Sie essen, trinken und bezahlen nicht gern.

Die heiligen drei König sind kommen allhier,
Es sind ihrer drei und sind nicht ihrer vier:
Und wenn zu dreien der vierte wär,
So wär ein heilger Drei König mehr.

Ich erster bin der weiß und auch der schön,
Bei Tage solltet ihr erst mich sehn!
Doch ach, mit allen Spezerein
Werd ich sein Tag kein Mädchen [mir erfrein]1.

Ich aber bin der braun und bin der lang,
Bekannt bei Weibern wohl und bei Gesang.
Ich bringe Gold statt Spezerein,
Da werd ich überall willkommen sein.

Ich endlich bin der schwarz und bin der klein,
Und mag auch wohl einmal recht lustig sein.
Ich esse gern, ich trinke gern,
Ich esse, trinke und bedanke mich gern.

Die heiligen drei König sind wohlgesinnt,
Sie suchen die Mutter und das Kind;
Der Joseph fromm sitzt auch dabei, 
Der Ochs und Esel liegen auf der Streu.

Wir bringen Myrrhen, wir bringen Gold,
Dem Weihrauch sind die Damen hold;
Und haben wir Wein von gutem Gewächs,
So trinken wir drei so gut als ihrer sechs.

Da wir nun hier schöne Herrn und Fraun,
Aber keine Ochsen und Esel schaun,
So sind wir nicht am rechten Ort
Und ziehen [unseres]2 Weges weiter fort.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   B. Dieren 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 van Dieren: "mehr erfreu'n"
2 van Dieren: "uns'res"

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Epiphanias", written 1781 [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 Bernard van Dieren (1887 - 1936), "Epiphanias: Eine spasshafte Weinachtsimprovisisation zu Goethe's Gedicht", 1914, published 1927 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Ernst Pepping (1901 - 1981), "Epiphaniasfest", 1946, published 1949 [ voice and piano ], from Haus- und Trostbuch, no. 17 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Epiphanias", 1888, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 19, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758 - 1832), "Epiphanias", 1810? [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The Three Holy Kings with their star", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Épiphanie", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Epifania", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 229

Epifania
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
I santi re Magi dalla stella guidati,
mangiano, bevono, ma non pagano lieti;
Allegri essi mangiano, essi bevono lieti,
mangiano, bevono, ma non pagano lieti.

I santi re Magi arrivano in tre,
il numero è quello ed un quarto non c'è:
e se oltre a quei tre se ne aggiungesse un altro
sarebbero in tutto tre re magi e un quarto.

"Io sono il primo, biondo e bello d'aspetto,
dovreste conoscermi quando è giorno fatto!
Purtroppo, però, sono di spezie caricato
e conquistare una donna non mi è ancora riuscito."

"Io sono bruno e sono il più alto dei tre,
di me più famoso per donne e canti non c'è.
Invece di spezie io oro trasporto,
e ovunque, per questo, sono ben accolto."

"Ed io, infine, sono nero e il più basso,
mi piace divertirmi e lo faccio assai spesso,
amo mangiare, e bere mi piace,
bevendo e mangiando ringrazio felice."

I santi re Magi hanno buone intenzioni,
alla Madre e al Bambino vogliono portare doni;
e al pio Giuseppe che siede loro vicino
mentre il bue e l'asinello stanno stesi sul fieno.

"Noi mirra portiamo, e oro prezioso,
e alle donne piace assai l'incenso odoroso;
e se, per fortuna, del buon vino troveremo
noi tre come fossimo in sei ne berremo.

Qui però stanno donne e uomini assai belli
ma non c'è traccia di buoi o asinelli,
è chiaro che questo non è il posto giusto
e quindi ci tocca ripartire al più presto. "

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2012 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Epiphanias", written 1781
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-01-16
Line count: 32
Word count: 246

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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