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Songs

Songs

Das irdische Leben (1892)

Part of a series or song cycle:

Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Das irdische Leben

Anon.

Mutter, ach Mutter! es hungert mich,
Gib mir Brot, sonst sterbe ich.
Warte nur, mein liebes Kind!
Morgen wollen wir ernten geschwind.
Und als das Korn geerntet war,
Rief das Kind noch immerdar:
Mutter, ach Mutter! es hungert mich,
Gib mir Brot, sonst sterbe ich.
Warte nur, mein liebes Kind,
Morgen wollen wir dreschen geschwind.
Und als das Korn gedroschen war,
Rief das Kind noch immerdar:
Mutter, ach Mutter! es hungert mich,
Gib mir Brot, sonst sterbe ich.
Warte nur, mein liebes Kind,
Morgen wollen wir backen geschwind.
Und als das Brot gebacken war,
Lag das Kind auf der Totenbahr.

Life on earth

English Translation © Richard Stokes

Mother, ah mother, I am starving.
Give me bread or I shall die.
Wait, only wait, my beloved child!
Tomorrow the reaping will be swiftly done.
And when at last the corn was reaped,
Still the child kept on crying:
Mother, ah mother, I am starving,
Give me bread or I shall die.
Wait, only wait, my beloved child!
Tomorrow the threshing will be swiftly done.
And when at last the corn was threshed,
Still the child kept on crying:
Mother, ah mother, I am starving.
Give me bread or I shall die.
Wait, only wait, my beloved child!
Tomorrow the baking will be swiftly done.
And when at last the bread was baked,
The child lay dead upon the bier.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

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Composer

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian late-Romantic composer and conductor.

Read more about him here.


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Poet

Anon.

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