Dein Gedenken lebt in Liedern fort;
Lieder, die der tiefsten Brust entwallen,
Sagen mir: Du lebst in ihnen allen,
Und gewiß die Lieder halten Wort.

Dein Gedenken blüht in Thränen fort;
Thränen, aus des Herzens Heiligthume
Nähren thauend der Erinnrung Blume,
[Und gewiß die Thränen halten Wort]1.

Dein Gedenken lebt in Träumen fort;
Träume, die [Dein Bild verklärt]2 mir zeigen,
[Sagen, daß Du ewig bist mein eigen]3,
Und gewiß, die Träume halten Wort.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Peter Cornelius, eingeleitet von Adolf Stern, Leipzig, C. F. Kahnt Nachfolger, 1890, page 132. Note: Modern German would spell "Thränen" as "Tränen" ; "thauend" as "tauend"; and "Heiligthume" as "Heiligtume", etc.

¹ Cornelius (song), Ritter: "In dem Tau blüht dein Gedenken fort"
² Noseda: "verklärt Dein Bild"
³ Ritter: "Sagen, daß du ewig mir zu eigen"

Text Authorship:

• by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Treue", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Zu eignen Weisen, in Trauer und Trost [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 Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Treue", op. 3 no. 5 (1854), from Trauer und Trost, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Carl Noseda , "Treue", from Trauer und Trost, ein Liedercyclus für eine Singstimme mit Clavierbegleitung, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Alexander Ritter (1833 - 1896), "Treue", op. 16 (Fünf Gedichte für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3 (1890-1), published 1891 [ voice and piano ], München, Aibl [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Fidelity", copyright ©

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 78

Your memory lives on in songs -
songs which bubble up from the depths of the heart;
they tell me that you live in all of them
and certainly, songs keep their word.

Your memory blossoms on in tears -
tears from the sanctuary of the heart
nourished with the dew of memory's blossom;
in that dew your memory blossoms on.

Your memory lives on in dreams -
dreams which show me your transfigured image
and say that you are eternally mine;
and certainly, dreams keep their word.