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 Daniel Norman and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Mir träumte von einem Königskind
German source:
Heinrich Heine
Mit nassen, blassen Wangen;
Wir sassen unter der grünen Lind’,
Und hielten uns liebeumfangen.
„Ich will nicht deines Vaters Thron,
Ich will nicht sein Szepter aus Golde,
Ich will nicht seine demantene Kron’,
Ich will dich selber, du Holde!“
Das kann nicht sein, sprach sie zu mir,
Ich liege ja im Grabe,
Und nur des Nachts komm’ ich zu dir,
Weil ich so lieb dich habe.
I dreamt of a royal child
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
With pale and humid cheeks;
We sat beneath the green lime,
And clasped each other full of love.
“I do not want your father’s throne,
Nor his sceptre of gold,
I do not want his diamond crown,
It’s you I want, you lovely one!”
That cannot be, she said to me,
For I lie already in the grave,
And only at night do I come to you,
Because I love you so much.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Mir träumte von einem Königskind
German source:
Heinrich Heine
I dreamt of a royal child
English source:
Richard Stokes
Mir träumte von einem Königskind
I dreamt of a royal child
Mit nassen, blassen Wangen;
With pale and humid cheeks;
Wir sassen unter der grünen Lind’,
We sat beneath the green lime,
Und hielten uns liebeumfangen.
And clasped each other full of love.
„Ich will nicht deines Vaters Thron,
“I do not want your father’s throne,
Ich will nicht sein Szepter aus Golde,
Nor his sceptre of gold,
Ich will nicht seine demantene Kron’,
I do not want his diamond crown,
Ich will dich selber, du Holde!“
It’s you I want, you lovely one!”
Das kann nicht sein, sprach sie zu mir,
That cannot be, she said to me,
Ich liege ja im Grabe,
For I lie already in the grave,
Und nur des Nachts komm’ ich zu dir,
And only at night do I come to you,
Weil ich so lieb dich habe.
Because I love you so much.
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…