Starb das Kindlein.
Ach, die Mutter
Saß am Tag und weinte, weinte,
Saß zur Nacht und weinte.

Da erscheint das Kindlein wieder,
In dem Todtenhemd, so blaß;
Sagt zur Mutter: "Leg' dich nieder!
Sieh, mein Hemdchen
[Wird von deinen]1 lieben Thränen
Gar so naß,
Und ich kann nicht schlafen, Mutter!" -

Und das Kind verschwindet wieder,
Und die Mutter weint nicht mehr.

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Confirmed with Huldigung den Frauen. Ein Taschenbuch für das Jahr 1832, ed. by J. F. Castelli, Wien, page 184 ; and with Gedichte von Bauernfeld. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. 1852, page 98, as shown above.

Note: Bauernfeld's 1852 edition contains the remark "Musik von Schubert." Schubert's setting is lost, however. Schubert received all poems from Bauernfeld in handwritten form.

¹ Randhartinger, and Bauernfeld's 1832 version: "Machen deine"

Text Authorship:

• by Eduard von Bauernfeld (1802 - 1890), "Das Todtenhemdchen" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Benedikt Randhartinger (1802 - 1893), "Das Totenhemdchen" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Das Totenhemdchen", D 864 (1827?), note: Schubert's setting is lost [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2012-10-19
Line count: 13
Word count: 61