Songs

Bei dir sind meine Gedanken

by Johannes Brahms

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Text & Translation

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Bei dir sind meine Gedanken
German source: Friedrich Halm

Bei dir sind meine Gedanken
Und flattern um dich her;
Sie sagen, sie hätten Heimweh,
Hier litt’ es sie nicht mehr.

Bei dir sind meine Gedanken
Und wollen von dir nicht fort;
Sie sagen, das wär’ auf Erden
Der allerschönste Ort.

Sie sagen, unlösbar hielte
Dein Zauber sie festgebannt;
Sie hätten an deinen Blicken
Die Flügel sich verbrannt.

My Thoughts Are With You
English translation © Richard Stokes

My thoughts are with you
And flutter around you;
They say they are homesick,
They are no longer wanted here.

My thoughts are with you
And do not wish to leave you;
They say that this is the loveliest
Place on earth.

They say that your magic
Holds them inescapably in thrall;
That they have scorched their wings
On your glances.

Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Bei dir sind meine Gedanken
German source: Friedrich Halm

My Thoughts Are With You
English source: Richard Stokes

Bei dir sind meine Gedanken
My thoughts are with you
Und flattern um dich her;
And flutter around you;
Sie sagen, sie hätten Heimweh,
They say they are homesick,
Hier litt’ es sie nicht mehr.
They are no longer wanted here.

Bei dir sind meine Gedanken
My thoughts are with you
Und wollen von dir nicht fort;
And do not wish to leave you;
Sie sagen, das wär’ auf Erden
They say that this is the loveliest
Der allerschönste Ort.
Place on earth.

Sie sagen, unlösbar hielte
They say that your magic
Dein Zauber sie festgebannt;
Holds them inescapably in thrall;
Sie hätten an deinen Blicken
That they have scorched their wings
Die Flügel sich verbrannt.
On your glances.

Composer

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna.  Brahms has been considered, by his…

Poet

Friedrich Halm

Baron Eligius Franz Joseph von Münch-Bellinghausen (German: Eligius Franz Joseph Freiherr von Münch-Bellinghausen) was an Austrian dramatist, poet and novella writer of the Austrian Biedermeier period and beyond, and is more generally known under…

Performances

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