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 Anna Grevelius and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Nimmersatte Liebe
German source:
Eduard Mörike
Mit Küssen nicht zu stillen:
Wer ist der Tor und will ein Sieb
Mit eitel Wasser füllen?
Und schöpfst du an die tausend Jahr,
Und küssest ewig, ewig gar,
Du tust ihr nie zu Willen.
Die Lieb, die Lieb hat alle Stund
Neu wunderlich Gelüsten;
Wir bissen uns die Lippen wund,
Da wir uns heute küssten.
Das Mädchen hielt in guter Ruh,
Wie’s Lämmlein unterm Messer;
Ihr Auge bat: „Nur immer zu!
Je weher, desto besser!“
So ist die Lieb! und war auch so,
Wie lang es Liebe gibt,
Und anders war Herr Salomo,
Der Weise, nicht verliebt.
Insatiable love
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Not to be quieted with kisses:
What fool would wish to fill a sieve
With nothing else but water?
And were you to draw water for some thousand years,
And were you to kiss for ever and ever,
You’d never satisfy love.
Love, love, has every hour
New and strange desires;
We bit until our lips were sore,
When we kissed today.
The girl kept nicely quiet and still,
Like a lamb beneath the knife;
Her eyes pleaded: “Go on, go on!
The more it hurts the better!”
Such is love! and has been so
As long as love’s existed,
And wise old Solomon himself
Was no differently in love.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Nimmersatte Liebe
German source:
Eduard Mörike
Insatiable love
English source:
Richard Stokes
So ist die Lieb! So ist die Lieb!
Such is love! Such is love!
Mit Küssen nicht zu stillen:
Not to be quieted with kisses:
Wer ist der Tor und will ein Sieb
What fool would wish to fill a sieve
Mit eitel Wasser füllen?
With nothing else but water?
Und schöpfst du an die tausend Jahr,
And were you to draw water for some thousand years,
Und küssest ewig, ewig gar,
And were you to kiss for ever and ever,
Du tust ihr nie zu Willen.
You’d never satisfy love.
Die Lieb, die Lieb hat alle Stund
Love, love, has every hour
Neu wunderlich Gelüsten;
New and strange desires;
Wir bissen uns die Lippen wund,
We bit until our lips were sore,
Da wir uns heute küssten.
When we kissed today.
Das Mädchen hielt in guter Ruh,
The girl kept nicely quiet and still,
Wie’s Lämmlein unterm Messer;
Like a lamb beneath the knife;
Ihr Auge bat: „Nur immer zu!
Her eyes pleaded: “Go on, go on!
Je weher, desto besser!“
The more it hurts the better!”
So ist die Lieb! und war auch so,
Such is love! and has been so
Wie lang es Liebe gibt,
As long as love’s existed,
Und anders war Herr Salomo,
And wise old Solomon himself
Der Weise, nicht verliebt.
Was no differently in love.
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
Eduard Mörike
Eduard Friedrich Mörike was a German Romantic poet. Mörike was born in Ludwigsburg. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike (d. 1817), a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer. He attended the Latin school at Ludwigsburg, and the…
Performances
Previously performed at:
- Devilishly Good Songs 24 Oct 2023
- Das Lied Winner's Recital 18 Oct 2023
- Oxford Lieder at Fairlight Hall: Felix Kemp sings Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov 01 Dec 2019
- Song at Wolfson / Felix Kemp: Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov 28 Nov 2019
- Brahms & Wolf: Ian Bostridge & Julius Drake 24 Oct 2017