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 Mary Bevan and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Text & Translation
Du milchjunger Knabe
German source:
Gottfried Keller
Wie siehst du mich an?
Was haben deine Augen
Für eine Frage getan!
Alle Ratsherrn in der Stadt
Und alle Weisen der Welt
Bleiben stumm auf die Frage,
Die deine Augen gestellt!
Ein leeres Schneckhäusel,
Schau, liegt dort im Gras;
Da halte dein Ohr dran,
Drin brümmelt dir was!
You beardless boy
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Why do you look at me so?
What kind of question
Have your eyes been asking!
All the councillors in the city
And all the wise men in the world
Are dumbfounded by the question
Your eyes have put!
Look, there’s an empty snail-shell,
Lying there in the grass;
Just put it to your ear,
And you’ll hear something hum inside!
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Du milchjunger Knabe
German source:
Gottfried Keller
You beardless boy
English source:
Richard Stokes
Du milchjunger Knabe,
You beardless boy,
Wie siehst du mich an?
Why do you look at me so?
Was haben deine Augen
What kind of question
Für eine Frage getan!
Have your eyes been asking!
Alle Ratsherrn in der Stadt
All the councillors in the city
Und alle Weisen der Welt
And all the wise men in the world
Bleiben stumm auf die Frage,
Are dumbfounded by the question
Die deine Augen gestellt!
Your eyes have put!
Ein leeres Schneckhäusel,
Look, there’s an empty snail-shell,
Schau, liegt dort im Gras;
Lying there in the grass;
Da halte dein Ohr dran,
Just put it to your ear,
Drin brümmelt dir was!
And you’ll hear something hum inside!
Composer
Hans Pfitzner
Hans Pfitzner was a German composer. Read more here.
