Songs
Gretchen am Spinnrade
(1822)
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Meine Ruh’ ist hin,Mein Herz ist schwer,Ich finde sie nimmerUnd nimmermehr.Wo ich ihn nicht hab’Ist mir das Grab,Die ganze WeltIst mir vergällt.Mein armer KopfIst mir verrücktMein armer SinnIst mir zerstückt.Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer, Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr.Nach ihm nur schau’ ichZum Fenster hinaus,Nach ihm nur geh’ ichAus dem Haus.Sein hoher Gang,Sein’ edle Gestalt,Seines Mundes Lächeln,Seiner Augen Gewalt.Und seiner RedeZauberfluss.Sein Händedruck,Und ach, sein Kuss!Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer, Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr.Mein Busen drängt sichNach ihm hin.Ach dürft’ ich fassenUnd halten ihn.Und küssen ihnSo wie ich wollt’An seinen KüssenVergehen sollt’!
Gretchen at the spinning-wheel
My peace is goneMy heart is heavy;I shall neverEver find peace again.When he’s not with me,Life’s like the grave;The whole worldIs turned to gall.My poor headIs crazed,My poor mindShattered.My peace is goneMy heart is heavy;I shall neverEver find peace again.It’s only for himI gaze from the window,It’s only for himI leave the house.His proud bearingHis noble form,The smile on his lips,The power of his eyes,And the magic flowOf his words,The touch of his hand,And ah, his kiss!My peace is goneMy heart is heavy;I shall neverEver find peace again.My bosomYearns for him.Ah! if I could claspAnd hold him,And kiss himTo my heart’s content,And in his kissesPerish!Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
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Composer
Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (G30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869),was a German composer, tenor singer and conductor. He wrote over 400 ballads and songs.
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Poet
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour; and four novels. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him exist. A literary celebrity by the age of 25, Goethe was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August in 1782 after first taking up residence there in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. He was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe served as a member of the Duke's privy council, sat on the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening of silver mines in nearby Ilmenau, and implemented a series of administrative reforms at the University of Jena. He also contributed to the planning of Weimar's botanical park and the rebuilding of its Ducal Palace, which in 1998 were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Previously performed at:
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Gretchen at the spinning-wheel
If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.
Composer
Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (G30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869),was a German composer, tenor singer and conductor. He wrote over 400 ballads and songs.
Information from Wikipedia. Read more here.
See Full Entry
Poet
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour; and four novels. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him exist. A literary celebrity by the age of 25, Goethe was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August in 1782 after first taking up residence there in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. He was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe served as a member of the Duke's privy council, sat on the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening of silver mines in nearby Ilmenau, and implemented a series of administrative reforms at the University of Jena. He also contributed to the planning of Weimar's botanical park and the rebuilding of its Ducal Palace, which in 1998 were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Taken from Wikipedia. To view the full article, please click here.
See Full Entry
Sorry, no further description available.