The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #68318   Message #1152599
Posted By: Nigel Parsons
02-Apr-04 - 03:50 AM
Thread Name: German folk song, help with translation
Subject: RE: German folk song, help with translation
If we're going from direct translation to a more suited idiomatic, but without major changes, then that penultimate verse which Jim seems to think needs work could be reconstructed from:

Oh daughter, dearest daughter,
Your talk makes me so sad,
So run off to the huntsman,
About him you seem mad

To:

Oh daughter, dearest daughter,
Your comments make me sad.
But
run off to/with your huntsman,
Who makes your heart so glad

Unsure of 'to' or 'with' in the third line, but as huntsman is not present, and daughter decides to wait for his return then 'with' makes sense. Although using 'to' suggests the mother is setting her daughter free but the daughter decides to await his return:
a, to check his constancy
b, to show she still loves her mother as well.
(If You Love Something Set It Free
If It Comes Back, It Was And Always Will Be Yours.
If It Never Returns,
It Was Never Yours To Begin With.)

Cheers

Nigel