Winterlied

Text: Traditional (German translation of the words to an old Swedish folksong); Music: Michael Sundell (original composition); Images: Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569)

Here is the German text:

Mein Sohn, wo willst du hin so spät?
Geh' nicht zum Wald hinaus,
Die Schwester find'st du nimmermehr,
O bleib' bei mir im Haus!
Da draussen ist's so kalt, so rauh,
Und heftig weht der Wind;
Bist ganz allein im weiten Wald,
O bleib' bei mir, mein Kind!

O Mutter, Mutter, lass mich zieh'n,
Trockne die Trän' im Blick;
Die Schwester find' ich ganz gewiss
Und bring' sie uns zurück.
Bis ich sie find', ist doch kein' Rast,
Ist doch kein' Ruhe hier;
Den Schnee und Wind bin ich gewohnt,
Bald kehr' ich heim zu dir!

Die Mutter sah ihm lange nach,
Er ging zum Wald hinaus;
Der Wind ward still, die Nacht verging,
Doch er kehrt' nicht zum Haus.
Und der Schnee zerschmolz, der Wind verweht,
Kam wieder Sonnenschein;
Und Blüth' und Blätter überall,
Die Mutter blieb allein!

Here is an English translation:

My son, whither do you go so late?
Do not go out into the woods;
You will nevermore find your sister,
O stay at home with me!
Out there it is so cold, so rough,
And the wind it blows fiercely;
You will be all alone in the wide wood,
O stay with me my child!

O mother, mother, let me go,
Dry the tears in your eyes;
I shall surely find my sister
And bring her back to us.
Until I find her there can be no rest
And no peace in our home;
I am used to the snow and wind,
And soon I will be home with you!

The mother followed him long with her gaze;
He went out into the woods;
The wind grew quiet and night passed,
But he did not return home;
And the snow melted and the winds died down,
Again came the sunshine;
And blossoms and leaves were all around;
Yet the mother remained alone!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• deutsches volkslied
• deutsche volkslieder
• neue deutsche volkslieder
• altes deutsche lied
• vecchia canzone tedesca
• canzone popolare tedesca
• German folk song
• New
• German
• Folk
• Songs;
• canzone
• popolaresca
• tedesca;
• chanson
• populaire
• allemande;
• Winter
• song;
• winter
• weather;
• snowfall;
• the
• Frozen
• Logger

[TheEmacmillen]

Hey! I really like this song. Is there a translation of the lyrics in English?

[Cimasiello00]

@TheEmacmillen

Hi! I've posted the German and English lyrics to the video description. Sorry I hadn't done that earlier--an oversight on my part. Thanks for your interest, and I hope you'll feel free to perform it or pass it on to friends!

[TheEmacmillen]

@Cimasiello00 Thanks so much!

[Cimasiello00]

@flexibartrampolin

Hi! No, the German translation is anonymous, done sometime in the 18th or early 19th century. Mendelssohn also set it to music. But your question is a good one--about whether the composition is really mine. The answer is that I think it's originally mine, but, when you've been listening to folk music and classical music circa 1800 for years, there's always the lingering question of whether the theme or at least part of it is something you heard somewhere else before.

[flexibartrampolin]

@flexibartrampolin Ah, got it. The tune is real folk from Sweden and you translated the words into German. Sorry for my misunderstanding. Well done anyhow.

[flexibartrampolin]

Hi. It's me again. Have you done studies german renaissance songs? If these songs really are your original compositions then let me say that you've got an extraordinary ability to tune into that period. (As a music teacher I am looking for more of those simple but powerful old songs. I even bought an old copy of "Deutsches Lautenlied" by Werckmeister. I the time of my studies in musicology I didn't specialize on this genre and period, so I don't have an expert survey.)