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 William Dazeley and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Du bist wie eine Blume (Wolf)
German source:
Heinrich Heine
So hold und schön und rein;
Ich schau’ dich an, und Wehmut
Schleicht mir ins Herz hinein.
Mir ist, als ob ich die Hände
Aufs Haupt dir legen sollt’,
Betend, dass Gott dich erhalte
So rein und schön und hold.
You are like a flower
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
So sweet and fair and pure;
I look at you, and sadness
Steals into my heart.
I feel as if I should lay
My hands upon your head,
Praying that god preserve you
So pure and fair and sweet.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Du bist wie eine Blume (Wolf)
German source:
Heinrich Heine
You are like a flower
English source:
Richard Stokes
Du bist wie eine Blume
You are like a flower,
So hold und schön und rein;
So sweet and fair and pure;
Ich schau’ dich an, und Wehmut
I look at you, and sadness
Schleicht mir ins Herz hinein.
Steals into my heart.
Mir ist, als ob ich die Hände
I feel as if I should lay
Aufs Haupt dir legen sollt’,
My hands upon your head,
Betend, dass Gott dich erhalte
Praying that god preserve you
So rein und schön und hold.
So pure and fair and sweet.
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
Heinrich Heine
Heine was born of Jewish parents. Much of his early life was influenced by the financial power of his uncle Salomon Heine, a millionaire Hamburg banker, with whom he remained on an awkward footing for many years. After he had been educated in the…