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by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

O süße Mutter
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE ITA
O süße Mutter,
Ich kann nicht spinnen,
Ich kann nicht sitzen
Im Stüblein innen,
Im engen Haus;
Es stockt das Rädchen,
Es reißt das Fädchen,
O süße Mutter,
Ich muß hinaus.
 
Der Frühling gucket
Hell durch die Scheiben,
Wer kann nun sitzen,
Wer kann nun bleiben
Und fleißig sein?
O laß mich gehen,
[O]1 laß mich sehen,
Ob ich kann fliegen
[Wie]2 Vögelein.
 
O laß mich sehen,
O laß mich lauschen,
Wo Lüftlein wehen,
Wo Bächlein rauschen,
Wo Blümlein blühn.
Laß mich sie pflücken
Und schön mir schmücken
Die braunen Locken
Mit buntem Grün.
 
Und kommen Knaben
[Im]3 wilden Haufen,
So will ich traben,
So will ich laufen,
Nicht stille stehn;
Will hinter Hecken
Mich [hier]4 verstecken,
Bis sie mit Lärmen
Vorüber gehn.
 
Bringt aber Blumen
Ein frommer Knabe,
Die ich zum Kranze
Just nötig habe,
Was soll ich tun?
Darf ich wohl nickend,
Ihm freundlich blickend,
O süße Mutter,
Zur Seit' ihm ruhn?

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   K. Reinecke •   H. Wolf 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Wolf: "Und"
2 Wolf: "Wie's"
3 Wolf: "In"
4 Reinecke: "still"

Text Authorship:

  • by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), no title, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in 3. Liebesfrühling, in 1. Erster Strauß. Erwacht, no. 72 [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 (Johann Gottfried) Heinrich Bellermann (1832 - 1903), "O süsse Mutter", op. 3 (Sechs Lieder) no. 6, published 1857 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul Boehm , "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 2, Berlin, Sulzer Nachf. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ignaz Brüll (1846 - 1907), "O süße Mutter", op. 12 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1874 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Schreiber [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Otto Fiebach (1851 - 1937), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", published 1880 [ voice and piano ], from An Susanne. Lieder der Liebe für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 30, Berlin, (Sulzbach) [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert Fuchs (1847 - 1927), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", op. 56 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], Langensalza, Beyer & Söhne [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Friedrich August Hering (1819 - 1889), "O süße Mutter ", op. 103 (Drei Chorgesänge für Sopran und Alt mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1869 [ SA chorus and piano ], Berlin, Trautwein [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert Kahn (1865 - 1951), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", op. 34 no. 12 (1901) [ voice and piano ], from Liebesfrühling. 17 Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Rückert, no. 12 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "O süße Mutter", op. 62, Heft 1 no. 3 (1837) [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Franz Mögele (1834 - 1907), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", op. 16 (Drei Lieder für Sopran mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1885 [ soprano and piano ], Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Piutti (1846 - 1902), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", op. 7 (Sieben Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1879 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824 - 1910), "O süße Mutter", op. 29 (Vier Lieder) no. 4 (1850) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Carl Martin Reinthaler (1822 - 1896), "O süße Mutter", op. 21, published 1866 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], Bremen, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Leopold Rosenfeld (1849 - 1909), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", op. 11 no. 5, published 1879 [ voice and piano ], from Heimathsklänge. Lieder für 1 hohe Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 5, Hamburg, Thiemer [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Julius Schmidt (1851 - 1917), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", op. 18 (Zwei Lieder für 1 hohe Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1895 [ high voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Schön (1855 - 1925), "O, süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", published 1890 [ voice and piano ], from [Sieben] Lieder und Gesänge für 1 Stimme mit Pianoforte, no. 4, Wien, Rättig [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Eduard Schütt (1856 - 1933), "O süsse Mutter, ich kann nicht spinnen", op. 11 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebleitung) no. 3, published 1887 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Rahter [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Die Spinnerin", 1878, from Sechs Lieder für eine Frauenstimme, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger.
    • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

Other 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 (Sharon Krebs) , "Oh sweet mother", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English [singable] (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "O dearest Mother"
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "O dolce madre", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: John Versmoren , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 45
Word count: 158

O dolce madre
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
O dolce madre,
non posso più filare,
non riesco a stare seduta
in questa cameretta
nella piccola casa;
Si inceppa la ruota
mi si rompe il filo,
o dolce madre,
debbo subito uscire.

La primavera luminosa si affaccia
attraverso la mia finestra,
come si può stare seduti
come si può ancora indugiare
diligenti al lavoro?
Ti prego lasciami andare,
lasciami vedere
se mi riesce di volare
come un uccellino.

Lasciami guardare in giro
e osservare attenta
dove soffiano i venti,
dove mormorano i ruscelli,
dove sbocciano i fiori.
Permettimi di raccoglierli
e adornare con essi
i miei riccioli bruni
con tutti i colori del verde.

E se arrivano ragazzi,
facendo chiasso in gruppo,
allora scapperò via
sempre di corsa
senza fermarmi;
E mi nasconderò qui
dietro la siepe.
Finché facendo chiasso
non saranno passati oltre.

Ma se a offrirmi fiori
sarà un bravo ragazzo,
perché possa adornarmi
di una bella ghirlanda,
che cosa debbo fare?
Potrò forse accettare,
guardarlo gentilmente,
o dolce madre,
e stare tranquilla al suo fianco?

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 Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), no title, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in 3. Liebesfrühling, in 1. Erster Strauß. Erwacht, no. 72
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-01-16
Line count: 45
Word count: 169

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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