Der Leiermann (Wilhelm Müller / Covenant’s song version)

 

Click here to listen to Covenant’s song version to the poem by  Wilhelm Müller displayed underneath side by side with its translation to English.

Clique aqui para ouvir a versão musical do grupo Covenant para o poema de Wilhelm Müller  disposto abaixo lado a lado com sua tradução para o Inglês.

Der Leiermann (The Hurdy-gurdy Man )

Synopsis: At the end of the village the poet finds the old barefooted hurdy-gurdy man winding away his tunes, but no-one has given him a penny, or listens, and even the dogs growl at him. But he just carries on playing, and the poet thinks he will cast in his lot with him. The parallel with the singer singing his sad songs in the ice and the slow, unresolved melody of the hurdy-gurdy concludes the cycle with an eerily unfinished feel perfectly in character with the lonely wandering of the singer.

 

Drüben hinterm Dorfe         There, behind the village,
Steht ein Leiermann,           stands an hurdy-gurdy man,
Und mit starren Fingern      And with numb fingers
Dreht er, was er kann.         he plays the best he can.

Barfuß auf dem Eise              Barefoot on the ice,
Schwankt er hin und her;      he staggers back and forth,
Und sein kleiner Teller            And his little plate
Bleibt ihm immer leer.             remains empty.

 

Refrain:

Wunderlicher Alter,                Strange old man,
Soll ich mit dir gehn?             shall I go with you?
Willst zu meinen Liedern        Dou you want to play my tunes
Deine Leier drehn?                with your hurdy-gurdy?

 

Keiner mag ihn hören,           No one likes to hear him,
Keiner sieht ihn an;               no one looks at him,
Und die Hunde brummen        And the hounds snarl
Um den alten Mann.               at the old man.

Und er läßt es gehen               And he lets it all be,
Alles, wie es will,                     everything as it wants to be,
Dreht, und seine Leier             He plays, and his hurdy-gurdy
Steht ihm nimmer still.             is never still.

 

Refrain:

Wunderlicher Alter,                Strange old man,
Soll ich mit dir gehn?             shall I go with you?
Willst zu meinen Liedern        Do you want to play my tunes
Deine Leier drehn?                with your hurdy-gurdy?

 

German lyrics source: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/84098/

Read and watch movies about the hurdy-gurdy here