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Songs

Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte (1787) K520

Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte

Gabriele von Baumberg

Erzeugt von heißer Phantasie,
In einer schwärmerischen Stunde
Zur Welt gebrachte! – geht zu Grunde!
Ihr Kinder der Melancholie!
Ihr danket Flammen euer Sein:
Ich geb’ euch nun den Flammen wieder,
Und all’ die schwärmerischen Lieder;
Denn ach! er sang nicht mir allein.
Ihr brennet nun, und bald, ihr Lieben,
Ist keine Spur von euch mehr hier:
Doch ach! der Mann, der euch geschrieben,
Brennt lange noch vielleicht in mir.

When Louisa burnt her unfaithful lover's letters

English Translation © Richard Stokes

Begotten by ardent fantasy,
Born in a rapturous hour
An emotional moment! Perish,
Ye children of melancholy!
You owe your existence to flames,
To flames I now return you
And all those passionate songs;
For ah! he did not sing for me alone.
Now you are burning, and soon, my dears,
Not a trace of you will remain:
But ah! the man who wrote you
May smoulder long yet in my heart.
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

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Composer

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart,[b] was a prolific and influential composer of the classical era. 

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Poet

Gabriele von Baumberg

Gabriele (or Gabriella) von Baumberg (or Bamberg), wife of János Batsányi (also Bacsányi), was an Austrian author and poet.

Von Baumberg was born in Vienna, the daughter of an Austrian civil servant. She received a humanistic education and from early on was fascinated by literature. As a result of her interest she later frequented the literary circles of Vienna.

She married the Hungarian author János Batsányi in 1805. Her husband translated Napoleon's proclamation into Hungarian after which, as a traitor, he was obliged to flee to Paris, taking his wife with him.

After the end of the Napoleonic Wars Batsányi was handed over to the Austrian authorities, who at first imprisoned him in Vienna and then exiled him to Linz. Gabriele accompanied him to both places, and died in Linz in 1839.

She wrote short poems and prose pieces throughout her life.

Taken from Wikipedia. To view the full article, please click here.


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