Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen
German source:
Heinrich Heine
Das einst die Liebste sang,
So will mir die Brust zerspringen
Von wildem Schmerzendrang.
Es treibt mich ein dunkles Sehnen
Hinauf zur Waldeshöh’,
Dort löst sich auf in Tränen
Mein übergrosses Weh’.
When I hear the little song
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
That my love once sang,
My heart almost bursts
With the wild rush of pain.
A dark longing drives me
Out to the wooded heights,
Where my overwhelming grief
Dissolves in tears.
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen
German source:
Heinrich Heine
When I hear the little song
English source:
Richard Stokes
Hör’ ich das Liedchen klingen,
When I hear the little song
Das einst die Liebste sang,
That my love once sang,
So will mir die Brust zerspringen
My heart almost bursts
Von wildem Schmerzendrang.
With the wild rush of pain.
Es treibt mich ein dunkles Sehnen
A dark longing drives me
Hinauf zur Waldeshöh’,
Out to the wooded heights,
Dort löst sich auf in Tränen
Where my overwhelming grief
Mein übergrosses Weh’.
Dissolves in tears.
Composer
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career as a virtuoso pianist. He had been assured…
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…