Mal du pays III | Quand j'étais petit garçon, je voyais des fleurs fleurir

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

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

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Ich sah als Knabe Blumen blühn

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA

Ich sah als Knabe Blumen blühn -
Ich weiß nicht mehr, was war es doch?
Ich sah die Sonne drüber glühn -
Mich dünkt, ich seh' es noch.

Es war ein Duft, es war ein Glanz,
Die Seele sog ihn durstend ein.
Ich pflückte sie zu einem Kranz - 
Wo mag er blieben sein?

Ich such' an jedem Blümchen nach
Um jenen Schmelz, um jenes Licht,
Ich forsche jeden Sommertag -
Doch solche find' ich nicht.

Ihr wußtet nimmer, was ich trieb?
Ich suchte meinen alten Kranz.
Er war so frisch, so licht, so lieb -
Es war der Jugendglanz.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Heimweh III", appears in Hundert Blätter, Paralipomena zum Quickborn, Hamburg, first published 1854 [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 Carl Banck (1809 - 1889), "Der Jugendkranz", op. 83 no. 6, published 1886 [ medium voice and piano ], from Herbstklänge. Acht Gesänge für 1 mittlere Stimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 6, Dresden, Hoffarth [sung text not yet checked]
by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Heimweh III", op. 63 (Neun Lieder und Gesänge) no. 9 (1874), published 1875 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Peters [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Heimwee III", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Homesickness III", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Mal du pays III", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Nostalgia III", copyright © 2008, (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: 95

Mal du pays III

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Quand j'étais petit garçon, je voyais des fleurs fleurir,
Je ne sais plus comment c'était.
Je voyais le soleil briller dessus --
Il me semble que je le vois encore.

Il y avait un parfum, il y avait un éclat,
L'âme le buvait avidement.
Je les cueillais et faisais une couronne --
Où cela pouvait être ?

Je cherche maintenant dans chaque fleur
Cette éclat, cette lumière.
Je recherche chaque jour d'été --
Mais je ne trouve pas une telle chose.

Vous ne saurais jamais ce que je faisais.
Je cherchais mon ancienne couronne.
Elle était si fraîche, si lumineuse, si chère --
C'était l'éclat de la jeunesse.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2012 by Guy Laffaille, (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 Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Heimweh III", appears in Hundert Blätter, Paralipomena zum Quickborn, Hamburg, first published 1854
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2012-09-01
Line count: 16
Word count: 103