Verlust
German source:
Heinrich Heine
Wie tief verwundet mein Herz,
Sie würden mit mir weinen,
Zu heilen meinen Schmerz.
Und wüssten’s die Nachtigallen,
Wie ich so traurig und krank,
Sie liessen fröhlich erschallen
Erquickenden Gesang.
Und wüssten sie mein Wehe,
Die goldenen Sternelein,
Sie kämen aus ihrer Höhe,
Und sprächen Trost mir ein.
Sie alle können’s nicht wissen,
Nur eine kennt meinen Schmerz:
Sie hat ja selbst zerrissen,
Zerrissen mir das Herz.
Loss
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
How deeply my heart is hurt,
They would weep with me
To heal my pain.
If the nightingales knew
How sad I am and sick,
They would joyfully make the air
Ring with refreshing song.
And if they knew of my grief,
Those little golden stars,
They would come down from the sky
And console me with their words.
But none of them can know;
My pain is known to one alone;
For she it was who broke,
Broke my heart in two.
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Verlust
German source:
Heinrich Heine
Loss
English source:
Richard Stokes
Und wüssten’s die Blumen, die kleinen,
If the little flowers knew
Wie tief verwundet mein Herz,
How deeply my heart is hurt,
Sie würden mit mir weinen,
They would weep with me
Zu heilen meinen Schmerz.
To heal my pain.
Und wüssten’s die Nachtigallen,
If the nightingales knew
Wie ich so traurig und krank,
How sad I am and sick,
Sie liessen fröhlich erschallen
They would joyfully make the air
Erquickenden Gesang.
Ring with refreshing song.
Und wüssten sie mein Wehe,
And if they knew of my grief,
Die goldenen Sternelein,
Those little golden stars,
Sie kämen aus ihrer Höhe,
They would come down from the sky
Und sprächen Trost mir ein.
And console me with their words.
Sie alle können’s nicht wissen,
But none of them can know;
Nur eine kennt meinen Schmerz:
My pain is known to one alone;
Sie hat ja selbst zerrissen,
For she it was who broke,
Zerrissen mir das Herz.
Broke my heart in two.
Composer
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel
Fanny Hensel, née Mendelssohn (1805-47), was an exceptionally gifted musician whose potential was stifled by the gendered social conventions of her upper-middle-class background in mid-19th-century Berlin. She came from a wealthy and cultivated…
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…