This song was recorded live at the Oxford Lieder Festival as part of Hugo Wolf: The Complete Songs on Stone Records.
Click here to listen to this song with Katherine Broderick and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Die Kleine
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
Weit den Wald entlang,
Reiten da drei junge Jäger
Auf drei Rösslein blank,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Auf drei Rösslein blank.
Ihr könnt fröhlich sein, lieb Mutter,
Wird es draussen still:
Kommt der Vater heim vom Walde,
Küsst Euch, wie er will,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Küsst Euch, wie er will.
Und ich werfe mich in Bettchen
Nachts ohn Unterlass,
Kehr mich links und kehr mich rechts hin,
Nirgends hab ich was,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Nirgends hab ich was.
Bin ich eine Frau erst einmal,
In der Nacht dann still
Wend ich mich nach allen Seiten,
Küss, soviel ich will,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Küss, soviel ich will.
This little girl
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
By the woodland ways,
Three young hunters come riding by
On three young gleaming steeds,
Dear mother,
On three young gleaming steeds.
You, dear mother, can be happy:
When outside all falls quiet,
When father comes home from the forest,
He’ll kiss you to his heart’s content,
Dear mother,
He’ll kiss you to his heart’s content.
And I toss and turn in bed
All night long without respite,
Roll to the left and roll to the right,
Finding nothing anywhere,
Dear mother,
Finding nothing anywhere.
When I’ve once become a woman,
In the night I’ll quietyly turn
Whichever way I wish,
Kiss to my heart’s content,
Dear mother,
Kiss to my heart’s content.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Die Kleine
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
This little girl
English source:
Richard Stokes
Zwischen Bergen, liebe Mutter,
Between mountains, dear mother,
Weit den Wald entlang,
By the woodland ways,
Reiten da drei junge Jäger
Three young hunters come riding by
Auf drei Rösslein blank,
On three young gleaming steeds,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Dear mother,
Auf drei Rösslein blank.
On three young gleaming steeds.
Ihr könnt fröhlich sein, lieb Mutter,
You, dear mother, can be happy:
Wird es draussen still:
When outside all falls quiet,
Kommt der Vater heim vom Walde,
When father comes home from the forest,
Küsst Euch, wie er will,
He’ll kiss you to his heart’s content,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Dear mother,
Küsst Euch, wie er will.
He’ll kiss you to his heart’s content.
Und ich werfe mich in Bettchen
And I toss and turn in bed
Nachts ohn Unterlass,
All night long without respite,
Kehr mich links und kehr mich rechts hin,
Roll to the left and roll to the right,
Nirgends hab ich was,
Finding nothing anywhere,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Dear mother,
Nirgends hab ich was.
Finding nothing anywhere.
Bin ich eine Frau erst einmal,
When I’ve once become a woman,
In der Nacht dann still
In the night I’ll quietyly turn
Wend ich mich nach allen Seiten,
Whichever way I wish,
Küss, soviel ich will,
Kiss to my heart’s content,
Lieb’ Mutter,
Dear mother,
Küss, soviel ich will.
Kiss to my heart’s content.
Composer
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf was born on 13 March 1860, the fourth of six surviving children, in Windischgraz, Styria, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was taught the piano and violin by his father at an early age and continued to study piano at the…
Poet
Joseph von Eichendorff
Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism. Ever since their publication and up to the present day, some…