This song was recorded live at the Oxford Lieder Festival as part of Hugo Wolf: The Complete Songs on Stone Records.
Click here to listen to this song with Birgid Steinberger and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Bedeckt mich mit Blumen
German source:
Emanuel Geibel
Ich sterbe vor Liebe.
Dass die Luft mit leisem Wehen
Nicht den süssen Duft mir entführe,
Bedeckt mich!
Ist ja alles doch dasselbe,
Liebesodem oder Düfte
Von Blumen.
Von Jasmin und weissen Lilien
Sollt ihr hier mein Grab bereiten,
Ich sterbe.
Und befragt ihr mich: Woran?
Sag’ ich: Unter süssen Qualen
Vor Liebe.
Cover me with flowers
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
I am dying of love.
Lest the soft breezes
Rob me of their sweet scent,
Cover me!
For the breath of love
And the scent of flowers
Is all one.
With jasmine and white lilies
You shall here prepare my grave,
I am dying.
And if you ask me: Of what?
I’ll say: in sweet torment
Of love.
Bedeckt mich mit Blumen
German source:
Emanuel Geibel
Cover me with flowers
English source:
Richard Stokes
Bedeckt mich mit Blumen,
Cover me with flowers,
Ich sterbe vor Liebe.
I am dying of love.
Dass die Luft mit leisem Wehen
Lest the soft breezes
Nicht den süssen Duft mir entführe,
Rob me of their sweet scent,
Bedeckt mich!
Cover me!
Ist ja alles doch dasselbe,
For the breath of love
Liebesodem oder Düfte
And the scent of flowers
Von Blumen.
Is all one.
Von Jasmin und weissen Lilien
Sollt ihr hier mein Grab bereiten,
Ich sterbe.
Und befragt ihr mich: Woran?
Sag’ ich: Unter süssen Qualen
Vor Liebe.
Composer
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf was born on 13 March 1860, the fourth of six surviving children, in Windischgraz, Styria, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was taught the piano and violin by his father at an early age and continued to study piano at the…
Poet
Emanuel Geibel
Emanuel von Geibel , German poet and playwright. He was born at Lübeck, the son of a pastor. He was originally intended for his father's profession and studied at Bonn and Berlin, but his real interests lay not in theology but in classical and…