In Michael Ende’s Die Unendliche Geschichte (known in English as The Neverending Story), there’s a part where some characters are singing the following song :
“Als ich ein kleines Bueblein war,
juppheißa bei Regen und Wind …”
The characters then mention that it is an old song “by some guy named Schexpir, or something like that”.
I’m wondering what play the author was quoting. Does anyone recognize these lines from any Shakespeare play?
A rough translation would be
“When I was just a little boy,
Shout, ‘Hurrah!’ by rain and wind”
Anyone know this, or have a copy of an English translation of the book (which presumably uses the original)?
My first thought was it sounds like something from The Tempest. I’m thinking King Lear, too, possibly. I’m posting this to give folks leads while I look.
"when that I was and a little tine boy,
With hey ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came to man’s estate,
With hey ho, etc.
'Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate,
For the rain, etc.
But when I came, alas, to wive,
With hey ho, etc.
By swaggering could I neer thrive,
For the rain, etc.
But when I came unto my beds,
With hey ho, etc.
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain, etc.
A great while ago the world begun,
hey ho, etc.
But that’s all one, our play is done,
And we’ll strive to please you every day."
From the end of Twelfth Night.
and -
“But he that has a little tiny wit
With heigh ho, the wind and the rain!
Must make content with his fortunes fit
Though the rain it raineth every day:”
from King Lear III ii
Hey, ho, thanks for the answers.
I did find out a list of the works that Schlegel had done, but it turns out he did neither of those it was from, so I was wrong on that.
But knowing the correct play, I did find out that Christoph Wieland translated both Twelfth Night and King Lear, so maybe that was the source.
Thanks again.
And what a nice touch it is, with “Regen” as a homonym for the daughter.