Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf

"Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf" ("Sleep, dear child, sleep") is a German lullaby.

The oldest surviving version is a text and melody fragment of the first stanza, which appears in 1611 as part of a quodlibet in Melchior Franck's Fasciculus quodlibeticus. The current melody of the lullaby was composed by Johann Friedrich Reichardt in 1781 after a folk tune and also used for "Maikäfer flieg" (cockchafer fly). The currently known text version was distributed by the third volume of the collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn (1808). As a template for the first stanza was a Low German version of Johann Friedrich Schütze's Holstein Idioticon (1806), the other stanzas are added poetry of Clemens Brentano. Franz Magnus Böhme reprinted 36 text variants in 1897.

Johannes Brahms set the text to his own music as No. 11 in his collection 15 Volkskinderlieder, WoO 31 (1857).

Melody
The melody by Johann Friedrich Reichardt is from 1781.

Text
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, Christkindlein hat ein Schaf, Ist selbst das liebe Gotteslamm, Das um uns all zu Tode kam, 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!

Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, Und blöck nicht wie ein Schaf, Sonst kömmt des Schäfers Hündelein, Und beißt mein böses Kindelein, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf.

Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf, Geh fort und hüt die Schaf, Geh fort du schwarzes Hündelein, Und weck mir nicht mein Kindelein, Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf. Sleep, little child, sleep The father tends the sheep, The mother shakes the little tree, At that, a little dream falls here Sleep, little child, sleep

Sleep, little child, sleep In Heaven drift the sheep The little stars are little lambs The moon, he is the little shepherd Sleep, little child, sleep

Sleep, little child, sleep The Christ Child has a sheep, He is himself the dear Lamb of God Who died for the sake of all of us Sleep, little child, sleep

Sleep, little child, sleep Then I'll give you a lamb With a fine golden bell Who shall be your playmate Sleep, little child, sleep

Sleep, little child, sleep And don't bleat like a sheep Or else might come the shepherd's dog and bite my naughty little child Sleep, little child, sleep

Sleep, little child, sleep Go forth and tend the sheep Go forth, you little black dog and wake no more my little child Sleep, little child, sleep

Additional Verses: Sleep, my child, sleep out there walks a sheep but now its time for beddy-byes so come on, my child close your eyes Sleep, my child, sleep.