Swiss song
(Poet's title: Schweizerlied)
Set by Schubert:
D 559
[May 1817]
Uf’m Bergli
Bin i gsässe,
Ha de Vögle
Zugeschaut;
Hänt gesunge,
Hänt gesprunge,
Hänts Nästli
Gebaut.
In ä Garte
Bin i gstande,
Ha de Imbli
Zugeschaut;
Hänt gebrummet,
Hänt gesummet,
Hänt Zelli
Gebaut.
Uf d’ Wiese
Bin i gange,
Lugt’i Summer-
Vögle a;
Hänt gesoge,
Hänt gefloge,
Gar zue schön hänt’s
Gethan.
Und da kummt nu
Der Hansel,
Und da zeig i
Em froh,
Wie sie’s machen,
Und mer lachen
Und machen’s
Au so.
On the mountain
Is where I sat
As I watched the birds,
I had a good look;
They sang,
They jumped
They built nests,
They built them.
In a garden
Is where I stood
As I watched the bees,
I had a good look;
They buzzed,
They hummed,
They built a hive
They built it.
On the meadow
Is where I went,
I watched the
Butterflies;
They sipped,
They flew,
It was really beautiful how
They did it.
And then along came
Johnny,
And I showed
Them to him cheerfully,
How they did it,
And he laughed more
And he did
Just what they did.
All translations into English that appear on this website, unless otherwise stated, are by Malcolm Wren. You are free to use them on condition that you acknowledge Malcolm Wren as the translator and schubertsong.uk as the source. Unless otherwise stated, the comments and essays that appear after the texts and translations are by Malcolm Wren and are © Copyright.
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Themes and images in this text:
Bees and honey Buildings and architecture Butterflies and moths Fields and meadows Flying, soaring and gliding Mountains and cliffs
The German language (even in its Swiss variety) appears not to have an equivalent to the English idiom ‘knowing about the birds and the bees’. Nevertheless, Goethe seems to have based this risqué text on the basic idea that sex is everywhere in nature and that humans are part of the same system. Everywhere we look, from birds building nests to butterflies sucking nectar from flowers, we come face to face with the facts of life. Sexual desire and activity are pervasive, from up in the mountains to out in the open meadows (in other words the whole environment if you are in the Swiss Alps).
The speaker is not exactly coy and is keen to point out what is going on to Hansel (little Johnny) when he turns up. He laughs even more (do they get the giggles?) and needs no persuading to join in the general activity.
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Original Spelling Schweizerlied Uf'm Bergli Bin i gsässe, Ha de Vögle Zugeschaut; Hänt gesunge, Hänt gesprunge, Hänts Nästli Gebaut. In ä Garte Bin i gstande, Ha de Imbli Zugeschaut; Hänt gebrummet, Hänt gesummet, Hänt Zelli Gebaut. Uf d' Wiese Bin i gange, Lugt'i Summer- Vögle a; Hänt gesoge, Hänt gefloge, Gar zu schön hänt's Gethan. Und da kummt nu Der Hansel, Und da zeig i Em froh, Wie sie's machen, Und mer lachen Und machen's Au so.
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, Goethe’s Werke. Erster Band. Original-Ausgabe. Wien, 1816. Bey Chr. Kaulfuß und C. Armbruster.Stuttgart. In der J. G. Cotta’schen Buchhandlung. Gedruckt bey Anton Strauß pages 170-171; with Goethe’s Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Erster Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta’schen Buchhandlung. 1827, pages 169-170; and with Goethe’s Werke. Erster Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J. G. Cotta’schen Buchhandlung. 1815, pages 155-156.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 170 [182 von 474] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ223421802