I send my heart up to thee, all my heart 
  In this my singing,
For the stars help me, and the sea, and the sea bears part;
  The very night is clinging
Closer to Venice' streets to leave one space 
  Above me, whence thy face
May light my joyous heart to thee, to thee its dwelling place.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with The World’s Best Poetry, ed. by Bliss Carman, et al. Philadelphia: John D. Morris & Co., 1904; Bartleby.com, 2012. http://www.bartleby.com/360/2/248.html ; an excerpt from a longer poem titled "Love's power", subtitled "In a gondola" (the beginning).

Text Authorship:

• by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), no title, appears in Bells and Pomegranates, first published 1842 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Harold Ayres , "I send my heart", 1936 [ high voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Alice Barnett (1886 - 1975), "Serenade", published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from In a gondola, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867 - 1944), "I send my heart up to thee", op. 44 (Three Browning Songs) no. 3, published 1900 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Gena Branscombe (1881 - 1977), "I send my heart up to thee", alternate title: "Serenade", published 1905 [ voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Rupert Hughes (1872 - 1956), "A gondolier's song", published 1892 [ high voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Daniel Protheroe (1866 - 1934), "I send my heart up to thee", published 1919 [ high voice and piano ], from Three Lyrics by Robert Browning [sung text not yet checked]
• by Latham True (1874 - 1945), "I send my heart up to thee", published 1932 [ high voice and piano ], from Lyrical Songs [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Denise Ritter Bernardini) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 7
Word count: 57

Ich schicke mein Herz herauf zu dir, mein ganzes Herz
  In diesem meinem Singen,
Denn die Sterne helfen mir, und das Meer, und das Meer trägt ein Teil;
  Die Nacht selbst schmiegt sich
Enger an die Gassen Venedigs, so daß über mir
  Sie Raum freilässt, worin dein Angesicht
Meinem freudigen Herzen wegweisend zu dir leuchten mag, zu dir, seiner Wohnstätte.