Mein Herr Marquis
From Die Fledermaus (The Flittermouse /The Bat / The Revenge of the Bat) is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée premiered in Vienna on April 5, 1874. It is the best-known stage work by Strauss, whose fame rested mainly on his ballroom dance pieces.
Mein Herr Marquis, ein Mann wie Sie
Sollt' besser das verstehn!
Darum rate ich, ja genauer sich
Die Leute anzusehn.
Die Hand ist doch wohl zu fein, ah,
Dies Füsschen so zierlich und klein, ah,
Die Sprache, die ich führe, die Taille, die Turnüre,
Dergleichen finden Sie bei einer Zofe nie!
Gestehen müssen Sie fürwahr,
Sehr komisch dieser Irrtum war.
Ja, sehr komisch, hahaha, ist die Sache, hahaha,
Drum verzeihn Sie, wenn ich lache, hahaha,
Sehr komisch, Herr Marquis, sind Sie.
Mit dem Profil im griech'schen Stil
Beschenkte mich Natur.
Wenn nicht dies Gesicht schon genügend spricht,
So sehn Sie die Figur!
Schaun durch die Lorgnette Sie dann, ah,
Sich diese Toilette nur an, ah,
Es scheint mir wohl, die Liebe macht Ihre Augen trübe.
Der schönen Zofe Bild hat ganz Ihr Herz erfüllt!
Nun sehen Sie sie überall,
Sehr komisch ist fürwahr der Fall.
Ja, sehr komisch, hahaha, ist die Sache, hahaha,
Sehr komisch, Herr Marquis, sind Sie.
My dear Marquis, You've insulted me,
A most impolite thing to do.
Though you were unkind,mI am too refined
To say what I think of you.
This delicate hand is so fine , ah,
This foot of such tiny design, ah
My diction is perfection, My bearing, my complexion--
You'll never see such features in a lady's maid;
You'll never see the charms that you find here displayed.
You really must admit, in fact,
Your words were quite devoid of tact!
You're amusing, ha, ha, ha, you're delightful, ha, ha, ha,
Can't help laughing, ha, ha, ha, feeling spiteful, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha;
A comical mistake, Marquis.
Look at this profile, in the Grecian style,
A beauty of classical charms,
With a perfect smile, full of youthful guile,
A Venus with both her arms.
Perhaps you should use a lorgnette, ah,
To study my trim silhouette, ah,
It's clear your eyes deceive you; Of doubt let me relieve you:
You're wrong to think that I'm your precious ladies' maid;
Your mind is filled with visions of her, I'm afraid.
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You think you see her face in me; How wrong you are, my dear Marquis!
You're amusing, ha, ha, ha, you're delightful, ha, ha, ha,
Can't help laughing, ha, ha, ha, feeling spiteful, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha;
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Johann Strauss II
(Oct. 25, 1825 - Jun. 3, 1899,
Vienna, Austria)
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Strauss was the eldest son of the composer Johann Strauss I. Because his father wished him to follow a nonmusical profession, he started his career as a bank clerk. He studied the violin without his father’s knowledge, however, and in 1844 conducted his own dance band at a Viennese restaurant. In 1849, when the elder Strauss died, Johann combined his orchestra with his father’s and went on a tour that included Russia (1865–66) and England (1869), winning great popularity. In 1870 he relinquished leadership of his orchestra to his brothers, Josef and Eduard, in order to spend his time writing music. In 1872 he conducted concerts in New York City and Boston.
Strauss’s most famous single composition is An der schönen blauen Donau (1867; The Blue Danube), the main theme of which became one of the best-known tunes in 19th-century music. His many other melodious and successful waltzes include Morgenblätter (1864; Morning Papers), Künstlerleben (1867; Artist’s Life), Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (1868; Tales from the Vienna Woods), Wein, Weib und Gesang (1869; Wine, Women and Song), Wiener Blut (1871; Vienna Blood), and Kaiserwaltzer (1888). Of his nearly 500 dance pieces, more than 150 were waltzes. Among his stage works, Die Fledermaus (1874; The Bat) became the classical example of Viennese operetta. Equally successful was Der Zigeunerbaron (1885; The Gypsy Baron). Among his numerous other operettas are Der Karneval in Rom (1873; The Roman Carnival) and Eine Nacht in Venedig (1883; A Night in Venice).