Collection Information: Schlaf, Kindlein, Schlaf was collected on May 17, 2014 in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is a classic lullaby.
Informant: The informant was Nicholas Peisch, a 22-year-old senior at Dartmouth College. Having grown up in Frankfurt Germany, Nicholas’s first language is German and was sung to often by his mother when he was younger.
Text (in German):
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf,
Der Vater hüt die Schaf,
Die Mutter schüttelts Bäumelein,
Da fällt herab ein Träumelein.
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf!
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf,
Am Himmel ziehn die Schaf,
Die Sternlein sind die Lämmerlein,
Der Mond, der ist das Schäferlein,
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf!
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf,
so schenk ich dir ein Schaf
Mit einer goldnen Schelle fein,
Das soll dein Spielgeselle sein,
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf!
Translation:
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Thy father guards the sheep,
Thy mother shakes the little trees,
There falls down one little dream.
Sleep, baby, sleep!
Sleep, baby, sleep,
The sky draws the sheep,
The little stars are the little lambs,
The moon, that is the little shepherd,
Sleep, baby, sleep!
Sleep, baby, sleep,
I shall give you a sheep
With one fine golden bell,
That shall be thy journeyman,
Sleep, baby, sleep!
Context: Nicholas stated that nursery rhyme is a common one, but a favorite of his mothers. In fact, his mother sang the rhyme to not just he and his siblings, but infant cousins as well.
Meaning and Interpretation: As is the goal of all lullabies, this nursery rhyme uses soft melody and rhyming to sooth a child to sleep. The lyrics portray comforting images of protective figures and peaceful animals to assuage the worries or fears of a young child.
Collector’s Information: Frohman Anderson, Dartmouth College ’14, Russian 13, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Spring 2014
