Songs

Die Spröde

by Hugo Wolf From Goethe-Lieder (1891)

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Text & Translation

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Die Spröde
German source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

An dem reinsten Frühlingsmorgen
Ging die Schäferin und sang,
Jung und schön und ohne Sorgen,
Daß es durch die Felder klang,
So la la! le ralla!

Thyrsis bot ihr für ein Mäulchen
Zwei, drei Schäfchen gleich am Ort,
Schalkhaft blickte sie ein Weilchen;
Doch sie sang und lachte fort,
So la la! le ralla!

Und ein andrer bot ihr Bänder,
Und der dritte bot sein Herz;
Doch sie trieb mit Herz und Bändern
So wie mit den Lämmern Scherz,
Nur la la! le ralla!

Coy
English translation © Richard Stokes

On the clearest of spring mornings
The shepherdess went out and sang,
Carefree, young and beautiful,
Till it echoed through the fields,
So la la! le ralla!

Thyrsis offered her for a kiss
Two, three lambs without delay,
She looked on archly for a while;
But went laughing and singing on her way,
So la la! le ralla!

And another offered ribbons,
And a third bid his heart;
But she made fun of heart and ribbons,
As she had done with the lambs,
Only la la! le ralla!

Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Die Spröde
German source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Coy
English source: Richard Stokes

An dem reinsten Frühlingsmorgen
On the clearest of spring mornings
Ging die Schäferin und sang,
The shepherdess went out and sang,
Jung und schön und ohne Sorgen,
Carefree, young and beautiful,
Daß es durch die Felder klang,
Till it echoed through the fields,
So la la! le ralla!
So la la! le ralla!

Thyrsis bot ihr für ein Mäulchen
Thyrsis offered her for a kiss
Zwei, drei Schäfchen gleich am Ort,
Two, three lambs without delay,
Schalkhaft blickte sie ein Weilchen;
She looked on archly for a while;
Doch sie sang und lachte fort,
But went laughing and singing on her way,
So la la! le ralla!
So la la! le ralla!

Und ein andrer bot ihr Bänder,
And another offered ribbons,
Und der dritte bot sein Herz;
And a third bid his heart;
Doch sie trieb mit Herz und Bändern
But she made fun of heart and ribbons,
So wie mit den Lämmern Scherz,
As she had done with the lambs,
Nur la la! le ralla!
Only la la! le ralla!

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

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on…

Performances

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