mersiowsky - 11-28-2014 at 10:41 AM
(From Naundorf, by Anton)
Translated by Joel R. Meador
There stands a linden tree in the valley,
It is so green, so green and pretty.
It bends and leans,
When the wind blows against it.
Her lover rides in the war,
His lover sighs so deeply.
When the roses bloom in the spring,
So I’ll come again to your house.
And so it was on a spring day,
The girl was digging in the garden.
As the girl dug in the garden,
She was looking out for her lover.
Along came a rider on horseback passing by
On his little brown pony.
He was wrapped up in a red coat,
So that his lover did not recognize him.
“Oh, my God, lovely girl!
What are you doing working in this little garden?”
“Are you gathering ripe apples here,”
Are you picking blooming flowers?”
“I am not gathering apples,
Also, I am not picking flowers.”
“I have looked all over for my lover,
To see if he is coming from somewhere.”
“Today marks seven years now,
That he left me for the war.”
“He has promised to return to me
In the spring, when the roses are blooming.”
“The roses have already bloomed this spring,
But my lover has not returned from the war.”
“Oh, don’t trust him, don’t trust him, young lady,
He became engaged yesterday to someone else.”
“I am going to return there again,
Do you wish me to say something to him?”
“And if you are returning there again,
Please just tell him hello for me.”
“He might like to think it all over,
What we have formerly talked about.”
“Everything I have already said to him,
All of that I have sincerely meant.”
“Oh, don’t trust him, don’t trust him, pretty maid!
Like if I would be the lover myself.”
“I only wanted to put you to the test,”
To see if you did not have someone else.”
“How then should I have another,
If my heart is always true?”
“When my eyes are constantly looking,
To see if my lover is not coming home?”
“For the little white hand of my love,
There is a little gold ring.”
“Now you should be entirely mine,
I’ll never have anyone else.”
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