Talk:O Tannenbaum
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Shouldn't this be O Tannenbaum without the h?
Since no one has responded to this question, and a search on Google reveals O Tannenbaum to be the more accurate title, I am moving this. Euphoria 23:57, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)
What about adding the persiflage of "Oh Tannenbaum" to this article: "Oh Tannenbaum, oh Tannenbaum,/die Oma hängt am Gartenzaun./Der Opa ruft die Feuerwehr,/die Oma ruft: 'Ich kann nicht mehr.'/Oh Tannenbaum, oh Tannenbaum,/die Oma hängt am Gartenzaun."
[edit] Modified German version
Even though I thought that the word "treu" (trusting) in "Wie treu sind deine Blätter!" might add some new meaning to the song, I think the original version reads: Wie grün sind deine Blätter! (grün meaning green) I have modified the song accordingly --Ghormax 13:37, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
- Um, my German isn't great but, I think treu is not so much "trusting" as "trustworthy" (cognate to "true" in the sense of "loyal, faithful"). I remember some of my Italian friends being amused by the feminine form, treue, which souds almost exactly like the Italian word troia, which (in a sexual context) means just the opposite.
- So treu is appropriate; the idea is that the fir's needles do not desert us in Winter, unlike the leaves of deciduous trees. And in any case the first Google hit has treu. So I'm changing it back. --Trovatore 07:29, 3 December 2007 (UTC)
- Hmm, I didn't notice you were German -- obviously you knew what treu meant; maybe not so much what "trusting" meant. Anyway here's a source with the treu lyric: http://german.about.com/library/blotannenb.htm . Do you have a source for the grün lyric? --Trovatore 07:34, 3 December 2007 (UTC)
- Here is a link explaining (in German) that "treu" is the original version, but "grün" became increasingly popular after the 19th century. —Angr If you've written a quality article... 16:53, 21 December 2007 (UTC)
- Hmm, I didn't notice you were German -- obviously you knew what treu meant; maybe not so much what "trusting" meant. Anyway here's a source with the treu lyric: http://german.about.com/library/blotannenb.htm . Do you have a source for the grün lyric? --Trovatore 07:34, 3 December 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Another translation
This is the version I learnt in school: Scott Gall 01:29, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.
Not only green in summer's heat
But also winter's snow and sleet,
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.
- Yeah, this seems to be the only Christmas carol without a standard English translation. I've seen or heard variant lyrics like "How lovely are your branches", "Thy leaves are so unchanging", "Not only green when summer's here/But also green throughout the year", "...green in summer's glow/...in winter's snow", and almost certainly a few more; I've probably even heard the same set of lyrics in both modern and Old English (different pronouns). B7T (talk) 13:21, 12 December 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Cantonese Version?
English isn't the only language this has been translated to. In Cantonese (Hong Kong), the song is Tsung Man Tse, and has some unique lyrics that are somewhat unlike any of the other standard versions - including referring to the plastic needles. I don't have a full translation, as I never learned the full song, but this would be a relevant addition if anybody could find a legitimate source (given Wiki's rules on primary research, eh?). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.226.19.232 (talk) 04:09, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
