Text & Translation
Salamander
German source:
Karl Lemcke
Auf einem kühlen Stein,
Da warf ein böses Mädchen
In’s Feuer ihn hinein.
Sie meint’, er soll verbrennen,
Ihm war erst wohl zu Mut,
Wohl wie mir kühlem Teufel
Die heiße Liebe tut.
Salamander
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
On a cool stone,
When suddenly a bad girl
Threw it into the fire.
She thought it would burn up,
But it felt even more at ease,
Just as hot love
Suits a cool devil like me.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Salamander
German source:
Karl Lemcke
Salamander
English source:
Richard Stokes
Es saß ein Salamander
A salamander was sitting
Auf einem kühlen Stein,
On a cool stone,
Da warf ein böses Mädchen
When suddenly a bad girl
In’s Feuer ihn hinein.
Threw it into the fire.
Sie meint’, er soll verbrennen,
She thought it would burn up,
Ihm war erst wohl zu Mut,
But it felt even more at ease,
Wohl wie mir kühlem Teufel
Just as hot love
Die heiße Liebe tut.
Suits a cool devil like me.
Composer
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna. Brahms has been considered, by his…
