Songs

Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen

by Hugo Wolf From Italienisches Liederbuch

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This song was recorded live at the Oxford Lieder Festival as part of Hugo Wolf: The Complete Songs on Stone Records.
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Text & Translation

View IPA

Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen
German source: Paul Heyse

Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen,
So trage nicht dein Haar gelockt, du Holde.
Lass von den Schultern frei sie niederwehen;
Wie Fäden sehn sie aus von purem Golde.
Wie goldne Fäden, die der Wind bewegt –
Schön sind die Haare, schön ist, die sie trägt!
Goldfäden, Seidenfäden ungezählt,
Schön sind die Haare, schön ist, die sie strählt!

And if you would see your lover die
English translation © Richard Stokes

And if you would see your lover die,
Do not wear your hair in tresses, my love.
Let it cascade from your shoulders;
It looks like threads of pure gold.
Like golden threads blown by the wind –
The hair is beautiful, beautiful she that wears it!
Golden threads, silken threads without number –
The hair is beautiful, beautiful she who combs it!

Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen
German source: Paul Heyse

And if you would see your lover die
English source: Richard Stokes

Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen,
And if you would see your lover die,
So trage nicht dein Haar gelockt, du Holde.
Do not wear your hair in tresses, my love.
Lass von den Schultern frei sie niederwehen;
Let it cascade from your shoulders;
Wie Fäden sehn sie aus von purem Golde.
It looks like threads of pure gold.
Wie goldne Fäden, die der Wind bewegt –
Like golden threads blown by the wind –
Schön sind die Haare, schön ist, die sie trägt!
The hair is beautiful, beautiful she that wears it!
Goldfäden, Seidenfäden ungezählt,
Golden threads, silken threads without number –
Schön sind die Haare, schön ist, die sie strählt!
The hair is beautiful, beautiful she who combs it!

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

Paul Heyse

Paul Johann Ludwig von Heyse was a distinguished German writer and translator. A member of two important literary societies, the Tunnel über der Spree in Berlin and Die Krokodile in Munich, he wrote novels, poetry, 177 short stories, and about sixty…

Performances

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