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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.

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by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875)
Translation © by Stéphane Goldet, Pierre de Rosamel

Wenn meine Mutter hexen könnt
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE FRE ITA
Wenn meine Mutter hexen könnt,
Da müßt sie mit dem Regiment,
Nach Frankreich, überall mit hin,
Und wär die Marketenderin.
Im Lager, wohl um Mitternacht,
Wenn Niemand auf ist als die Wacht,
Und Alles schnarchet, Roß und Mann,
Vor meiner Trommel [säß']1 ich dann:
Die Trommel müßt' eine Schüssel sein,
Ein warmes Sauerkraut darein,
Die Schlegel Messer und Gabel,
Eine lange Wurst mein [Sabel]2,
Mein Tschako wär' ein Humpen gut,
Den [füll']3 ich mit Burgunderblut.
Und weil es mir an Lichte fehlt,
Da scheint der Mond in mein Gezelt;
Scheint er auch auf [Franzö'sch]4 herein,
Mir fällt doch meine Liebste ein:
Ach weh! Jetzt hat der Spaß ein End!
- Wenn [nur]5 meine Mutter hexen könnt!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   H. Riesenfeld 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Riesenfeld: "sass"
2 Riesenfeld: "Säbel"
3 Riesenfeld: "füllt"
4 Riesenfeld: "Französisch"
5 omitted by Riesenfeld

Text Authorship:

  • by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "Der Tambour" [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 Gus Anton (b. 1938), "Der Tambour", published 1987 [ men's chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hugo Distler (1908 - 1942), "Der Tambour", op. 19 (Mörike-Chorliederbuch), Heft 3 no. 1 (1939) [ chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hugo Riesenfeld (1879 - 1939), "Der Tambour" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by August Scharrer (1866 - 1936), "Der Tambour", op. 2 (Sechs Lieder) no. 5, published 1894 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Iwan Schönebaum (1880 - 1967), "Der Tambour", op. 47 no. 1, published 1906-1913 [ men's chorus a cappella ], Leipzig, Kahnt Nachfolger [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Heinrich Triest (1808 - 1885), "Der kleine Tambour", op. 29 (Vier Gesänge für 1. Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1875 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simon [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Der Tambour", from Mörike-Lieder, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "The drummer boy", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English [singable] (Mabel Dunning)
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le tambour", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Le tambour", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Il Tamburino", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 121

Le tambour
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Si seulement ma mère pouvait être magicienne,
elle suivrait le régiment 
partout en France
et en serait la vivandière.
Dans le camp, sur les coups de minuit,
quand seule la garde est debout,
et que tout ronfle, hommes et cheveaux,
je m'assiérais devant mon tambour, et :
mon tambour serait un plat
garni de choucroute chaude, 
mes baguettes, un couteau et une fourchette
et mon sabre une grande saucisse ;
mon shako ferait office de hanap
que je remplirais de bourgogne rouge.
Et comme je n'ai pas de chandelle,
c'est la lune qui éclaire ma tente ;
elle brille aussi bien sur le sol français,
et d'un coup la pensée de l'aimée m'envahit :
ah, misère ! (ah, misère, ah misère !)
Finie la mascarade !
--si seulement ma mère pouvait être magicienne !

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2012 by Stéphane Goldet and Pierre de Rosamel, (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 Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "Der Tambour"
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-03-05
Line count: 21
Word count: 127

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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!
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