German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 May 19 - 07:31 PM

Thanks, Reinhard!
That is better than I could have done it,
not that that is saying much of anything.

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: Reinhard
Date: 08 May 19 - 03:27 PM

I've translated the song with DeepL and corrected some phrases:

Three tailors came to the Rhine
And they stopped at the inn at Ingelheim,
On the Rhine, on the Rhine.
They didn't have a dime in their sack anymore,
But every one of them thirsted very much
After wine, after wine.

Mr Landlord, we don't have any piece of money,
But we were far around in the world,
On the Rhine, on the Rhine.
We can each do a masterpiece,
That's what we teach him, that's what'll bring him luck,
For wine, for wine.

You lad, I don't want to be your fool,
I am the innkeeper of Ingelheim,
On the Rhine, on the Rhine.
And can you not everyone do a masterpiece,
So I'll break the neck of every one of you.
Instead of wine, instead of wine.

The first now caught a ray of sunshine
And threaded it into the needle of steel,
On the Rhine, on the Rhine.
He sews together a broken wine glass,
That even the seam cannot be recognized
In the wine, in the wine.

The second one then caught a mosquito,
That just went over his nose,
On the Rhine, on the Rhine.
The mosquito had a hole in its stocking,
As small as it was, he stuffed it.
For wine, for wine.

The third one now took the needle in his hand
And drilled it mightily and deep into the wall,
On the Rhine, on the Rhine.
He flew like a bolt of lightning through the eye of the needle, --
I've seen it, my honour,
With the wine, with the wine.

The landlord said: I've never seen anything like this before,
Let not my thanks escape you, my boys,
On the Rhine, on the Rhine.
He took a thimble and filled it well,
There, lad, now drink yourselves full and mad
In wine, in wine.

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 May 19 - 03:15 PM

The preceding "Ballade,"      "Es kamen drei Schneider,"
has straightforward German in its lyrics,
but as my vocabulary is poor,
it is a stretch for me to make out what all of it means.

I gather this much:
our three youngsters have returned to their homeland
after sufficient travel to ...
leave them penniless.
They desperately want some wine, and can't pay for it.

The Ingelheim innkeeper, however,
has been around the block a few times, as we say in English,
and he knows only too well what to expect from these youths.

So he threatens to break their necks if they try to just
get away with drinking free wine;
and if they can't actually pay with money,
then whatever they demonstrate --

and what they demonstrate with is not
a Gesellenstück, but a Meisterstück,
meaning that none of the three is a Meister yet --

had better be worth his precious time and trouble.
What ensues is literally fantastic and unreal,
but this being a drinking-song,
a fantasy of a Meisterstück is within bounds.

To which, of course, the innkeeper of Ingelheim has the last word.
He allows as how he has been shown something
the likes of which he never saw before.
But, he goes on,
that will not exempt these cheeky young men
from being thanked -- more like, humbled -- afterwards.

A Fingerhut: even I know what that is, in English:
it's a thimble,
fittingly since these three are journeyman tailors,
and the innkeeper hands a thimble to the three of them,
and says,
There, boys, drink your fill of my wine with THIS!

The End.

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 May 19 - 04:49 PM

Many thanks, MudGuard/Andreas,
and apropos of your explanation,
I found another poem / song lyric.
It is a fact that
the word "Geselle" is entirely absent from this lyric,
which uses the word "Bursch" instead.

However, you can correct me if I am mistaken,
but I think what this poem concerns
is three journeyman tailors, still young, and returning to the Rhein [their homeland] from their travels and studies.

And the German innkeeper's last word is priceless.


BALLADE

(Carl Herloßsohn)

Es kamen drei Schneider wohl an den Rhein
Und kehrten bei'm Gastwirth zu Ingelheim ein,
Am Rhein, am Rhein.
Sie hatten im Sack keinen Heller mehr,
Doch dürstete Jeden von ihnen gar sehr
Nach Wein, nach Wein.

Herr Wirth, wir ha'n keinen Kreuzer Geld,
Doch waren wir weit herum in der Welt,
Am Rhein, am Rhein.
Wir können ein Jeder ein Meisterstück,
Das lehren wir ihn, das bringt ihm Glück,
Für Wein, für Wein.

Ihr Bursche, ich will Euer Narre nicht sein,
Ich bin ja der Gastwirth von Ingelheim,
Am Rhein, am Rhein.
Und könnt ihr nicht Jeder ein Meisterstück,
So brech' ich auch Jedem von Euch das Genick
Statt Wein, statt Wein.

Der Erste nun fing einen Sonnenstrahl
Und fädelt ihn ein in die Nadel von Stahl,
Am Rhein, am Rhein.
Er näht' ein zerbrochnes Weinglas zusamm,
Daß man auch die Naht nicht erkennen kann
Im Wein, im Wein.

Der Zweite darauf eine Mücke fing,
Die g'rad über seine Nase ging,
Am Rhein, am Rhein.
Die Mücke, die hatt' in dem Strumpfe ein Loch,
So klein es auch war, er stopfte es doch
Für Wein, für Wein.

Der Dritte der nahm nun die Nadel zur Hand
Und bohrte sie mächtig und tief in die Wand,
Am Rhein, am Rhein.
Er flog wie ein Blitzstrahl durchs Nadelöhr, --
Ich hab' es geseh'n bei meiner Ehr',
Beim Wein, beim Wein.

Der Wirth sprach: So 'was hab' ich nie noch geseh'n,
D'rum soll Euch, ihr Bursch', auch mein Dank nicht entgeh'n,
Am Rhein, am Rhein.
Er nahm einen Fingerhut schenkte ihn wohl,
Da, Bursche, nun sauft Euch auch voll und toll
Im Wein, im Wein.

-- from Buch der Liebe, Leipzig: Fest'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1842, pages 77 - 79.


This poem has been fitted to traditional melodies of one sort or another
and appears in "Commersbücher" in the 19th century.

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 03 May 19 - 06:10 AM

The word Gesell or Gezel etc. is much older than Luther. The general meaning is "fellow", but it is used technically for "fellow of the guild" = journeyman. The person mentioned in the song is a regular employee, paid for his work; gaining experience for future mastership being a welcome side effect. In other words: he is not unskilled, just lazy and "quick-mouthed".

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: MudGuard
Date: 03 May 19 - 12:58 AM

"Geselle" is still in use in German. At the end of the apprentice-ship an apprentice has to take some (theoretical) tests and has to create a "Gesellenstück", a piece showing that he learned his profession.

If he successfully completes tests and Gesellenstück, he becomes a "Geselle".

In some professions, it is still a tradition that a "Geselle" is going abroad for three years in order to work for other masters than the one where he learned his profession (so he can learn even more from the different masters).

A "Geselle" has learnt his profession, but is (in many professions) not yet allowed to run his own business. For that, he has to be a "Meister" (master), which involves more tests. Once he is a "Meister" he can run his own business and is allowed to have apprentices.

Andreas from Germany

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 May 19 - 06:31 PM

'Gesell' does seem to be one of the words,
in German, that have survived across centuries of change.
Was it not in use in Martin Luther's day?
If not before ...

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 02 May 19 - 11:02 AM

I am not so sure 'Gesell' shouldn't be translated as 'apprentice'.

It is certainly one meaning of the word, in Dutch 'gezel' is definitely an apprentice an as far as I know in German this is no different (and my old German dictionary agrees with that). It is perhaps a slightly archaic term.

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 May 19 - 05:22 PM

danke schön

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: MudGuard
Date: 01 May 19 - 01:41 AM

An apprentice would be a "Lehrling" or "Lehrbub"

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: michaelr
Date: 30 Apr 19 - 07:52 PM

Gesell: journeyman, not apprentice

The master berates him for being a slow worker, but a voracious eater. The master says, "All my life it has been the rule: As one eats, so one works. But with you it's thus: No one has filed as slowly, but stuffed himself, as you."

The journeyman answers, "I understand, and there's a good reason: The meal does not last very long, while work lasts fourteen hours. If one were to eat the whole day in one piece, it would go as slowly as my filing."

That's what it says. You tell me what it means ;-)

Subject: RE: German: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Apr 19 - 06:42 PM

I comprehend this much:

the apprentice works very slowly
and eats faster than anybody else.
?

Subject: ADD: Ein Schlosser hat einen Gesellen gehabt
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Apr 19 - 04:04 PM

I found a dialect version of this song here:

https://www.volksliederarchiv.de/ein-schlosser-hat-einen-gesellen-gehabt/

Ein Schlosser hat einen Gesellen gehabt
(Johann Konrad Grübel)

An Schlosser hot an G´sellen g´hot,
der hot gor langsam g´feilt.
doch wenn´s zum Fresse ´gangen ischt,
do hot er grausam g´eilt.
Der erschte in der Schüssel drin,
der letzt a wieder draus.
Do ischt koa Mensch so fleißig g´west
Als er im ganza Haus.

G´sell, hot amol der Meister gsagt,
hör, dös begreif i net.
Es ischt doch all mei Lebtag gwest,
so lang i denk, die Red:
so wie man frißt, so schafft ma au,
bei Dir ischt´s aber su:
So langsam hot no keiner gfeilt,
un g´fresse so wie du!

Ho, sagt der G´sell, dös b´greif i scho
s hot alls sein guta Grund
Das Fresse währt halt gar net lang
und d Arbeit vierzehn Stund
Wenn aner sollt da ganze Tag
in an´m Stück fresse fort,
s würd‘ au gar bald so langsam gehn,
als wie beim Feila dort.

Text: nach Johann Konrad Grübel (1800) –
Schreibweise auch „An Schlosser hot an Gsellen ghot“
Musik: Verfaser unbekannt , Volksweise , auch von K. G. Reisiger ()

u.a. in Die deutschen Volkslieder mit ihren Singweisen (1843) –   Liederbuch des Handwerker-Vereins zu Potsdam (1859) — Liederbuch deutschnationaler Kaufmannsgehilfen (1897) — Alte und Neue Lieder (ca, 1910, erstes Heft) — Gesellenfreud (1913) — Berg frei (1919) –

Here's a performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fcL874aX1k

And here's a karaoke video for the daring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b83KKy-KtF8

Subject: ADD: Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Apr 19 - 03:05 PM

This lyric does have a known Author, and so
it is a folk-song styled text.
Is it like "Ännchen von Tharau," an art-song pretending to be a folk song,
or is this a lyric that really became a popular song for das Volk?
And ... what does the Gesell'n's reply mean?

DER SCHLOSSER UND SEIN GESELL
(Johann Konrad Grübel)

Ein Schlosser hat ein' Gesell'n g'habt,
der hat gar langsam g'feilt;
doch wenn's zum Essen gangen ist,
da hat er grausam geeilt.
Der erste in der Schüssel drin,
der letzte wieder draus,
da ist kein Mensch so fleißig g'west,
als er im ganzen Haus.

"G'sell!" hat einmal der Meister g'sagt,
"hör', das begreif' ich nöt!
Es ist doch all mein Lebtag g'west,
solang' ich denk', die Red':
'So wie man ißt, so schafft man auch',
bei dir ist's nicht al su:
so langsam hat noch keiner g'feilt
und g'essen so wie du."

"Ja," sagt der G'sell, "das begreif' ich schon;
's hat all's sein guten Grund':
das Essen währt halt gar nit lang'
und die Arbeit vierzehn Stund'.
Wenn einer sollt' den ganzen Tag
in ein'm Stück essen fort:
's würd' wohl gar bald so langsam gehn,
als wie beim Feilen dort."

-- by Johann Konrad Grübel
whose original is spelled differently,
to convey an even stronger accent/dialect.
The cleaned-up version above comes from

Lesebuch für gewerbliche Fortbildungsschulen: dritten, unveräderter Abdruck, Leipzig: R. Voigtländers Verlag, 1905, page 55.