Songs
Köpfchen, Köpfchen, nicht gewimmert
by Hugo Wolf From Spanisches Liederbuch: Weltliche Lieder (1890)
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 Birgid Steinberger and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Köpfchen, Köpfchen, nicht gewimmert
German source:
Paul Heyse
Halt dich wacker, halt dich munter,
Stütz’ zwei gute Säulchen unter,
Heilsam aus Geduld gezimmert!
Hoffnung schimmert,
Wie sich’s auch verschlimmert
Und dich kümmert.
Musst mit Grämen
Dir nichts zu Herzen nehmen,
Ja kein Märchen,
Dass zu Berg dir stehn die Härchen;
Da sei Gott davor
Und der Riese Christophor!
Don't whimper, hold your little head up high
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Be brave, be of good cheer,
Prop yourself up on two pillars,
Fashioned wholesomely of patience!
Hope now glimmers,
However bad things get,
However you are vexed.
You must take nothing
Grievously to heart,
Especially stories
That make your hair stand on end;
To avoid that, pray to God
And the giant Christopher!
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Köpfchen, Köpfchen, nicht gewimmert
German source:
Paul Heyse
Don't whimper, hold your little head up high
English source:
Richard Stokes
Köpfchen, Köpfchen, nicht gewimmert,
Don’t whimper, hold your little head up high,
Halt dich wacker, halt dich munter,
Be brave, be of good cheer,
Stütz’ zwei gute Säulchen unter,
Prop yourself up on two pillars,
Heilsam aus Geduld gezimmert!
Fashioned wholesomely of patience!
Hoffnung schimmert,
Hope now glimmers,
Wie sich’s auch verschlimmert
However bad things get,
Und dich kümmert.
However you are vexed.
Musst mit Grämen
You must take nothing
Dir nichts zu Herzen nehmen,
Grievously to heart,
Ja kein Märchen,
Especially stories
Dass zu Berg dir stehn die Härchen;
That make your hair stand on end;
Da sei Gott davor
To avoid that, pray to God
Und der Riese Christophor!
And the giant Christopher!
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
Paul Heyse
Paul Johann Ludwig von Heyse was a distinguished German writer and translator. A member of two important literary societies, the Tunnel über der Spree in Berlin and Die Krokodile in Munich, he wrote novels, poetry, 177 short stories, and about sixty…