I guess that many of us enjoy the chapter in A Time of Gifts when the eighteen year old Paddy spent two nights in Stuttgart with two very pretty nineteen year old German girls, Lise and Annie. It was Epiphany, 6th January 1934, and they went to a party where Paddy had to pretend to be Mr Brown, a family friend. He particularly enjoyed singing a song about the Neckar Valley and Swabia. Paddy could not remember all the words but his stunning memory recalled most of them (page 66).
As we approach that time of year I thought we ought to share this delightful song.
Here is a link to the music sung by a German choir. The words are below so that you too can sing along! Let’s hear it now, one two three ….
Refrain: 2. Kennt ihr das Land in deutschen Gauen, |
3. Kennt ihr das Land in deutschen Gauen, Wo Tann’ und Efeu immer grün, Wo starke Männer, edle Frauen In deutscher Kraft und Sitte blühn? Es ist das Land, . . . . .4. Kennt ihr das Land im deutschen Süden, So oft bewährt in Kampf und Streit, Dem zwischen seiner Wälder Frieden So frisch die deutsche Kraft gedeiht? Ja, wackre Deutsche laßt uns sein! |
Patrick Leigh Fermor 
Hello Tom,
I could finally download the song from the link , thanks so much. It was a gift for my wife, she is suabian.
I wish to thank you also for your excellent blog. I discovered PLF”s ‘A Time Of Gifts’ some time ago having a look at the shelves of a travel bookshop. You can hardly hear of him in Spain, although 3 of his books have been published. Of course he is much less known than other travel writers far less interesting. It might be because it requires a wide range of cultural interests to fully enjoy his writing beyond the adventures of his wandering.
As “Between The Woods and The Water’ is currently not available in Spanish, I fetched an English copy. I am learning a lot of English!
Joan Porta Barcelona
I have downloaded the song, but I cannot play it in any player. It seems the file is damaged, I have been told a vbr file should be able to be played in any mp3 player. Woul it be possible to upload it in cbr mp3 format ?
Many thanks
Joan – try going to the site where I found the music – link below. Press play on the black player five centimetres down from the top right. This should work. There are many download options there as well so they may work if you wish to retain a copy.
http://www.archive.org/details/Deutsche_Heimatlieder-Kennt_ihr_das_Land_in_deutschen_Gauen
You know this is based on a famous lyric by Goethe?
Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn,
Im dunkeln Laub die Gold-Orangen glühn,
Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht,
Die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht?
Kennst du es wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter, ziehn.