Songs
Was will die einsame Träne (Strophe 1 & 2)
by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged Aribert Reimann From ... oder soll es Tod bedeuten? ...
Was will die einsame Träne (Strophe 1 & 2)
German source:
Heinrich Heine
Sie trübt mir ja den Blick.
Sie blieb aus alten Zeiten
In meinem Auge zurück.
Sie hatte viel leuchtende Schwestern,
Die alle zerflossen sind,
Mit ihren Schmerzen und Freuden,
Zerflossen in Nacht und Wind.
Why this solitary tear?
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
It troubles my gaze.
It has remained in my eye
From days long past.
It had many shining sisters
Who have all vanished,
Vanished with its joys and sorrows
In night and wind.
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Was will die einsame Träne (Strophe 1 & 2)
German source:
Heinrich Heine
Why this solitary tear?
English source:
Richard Stokes
Was will die einsame Träne?
Why this solitary tear?
Sie trübt mir ja den Blick.
It troubles my gaze.
Sie blieb aus alten Zeiten
It has remained in my eye
In meinem Auge zurück.
From days long past.
Sie hatte viel leuchtende Schwestern,
It had many shining sisters
Die alle zerflossen sind,
Who have all vanished,
Mit ihren Schmerzen und Freuden,
Vanished with its joys and sorrows
Zerflossen in Nacht und Wind.
In night and wind.
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…