A kiss | They say a kiss is but a joke

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by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866)

Translation © by George Chaldezos

Sie sagen wohl, ein Kuß sei Scherz

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Sie sagen wohl, ein Kuß sei Scherz,
Sie sagen wohl, ein Kuß sei Spiel.
O wie ein Kuß mir viel auf's Herz,
O wie ein Kuß auf's Herz mir fiel!

Ich küsse nicht zum Scherze dich,
Ich küsse dich aus vollem Ernst,
Und wenn du anders küssest mich,
So bitt' ich, daß du's besser lernst.

Ich sage dir mit diesem Kuß,
Daß ich die Deine bin und bleib',
Ich sage dir, daß ewig muß
Ich mich bekennen als dein Weib.

Du hast dasselbe mir gesagt,
Du liebst im Ernst und nicht im Scherz.
Und wenn mein Mund dich zweifelnd fragt,
So küss' es wieder mir ins Herz.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), no title, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in 3. Liebesfrühling, in 5. Fünfter Strauß. Verbunden or Wiedergewonnen], no. 53 [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 Georg Eduard Goltermann (1824 - 1898), "Sie sagen wohl ein Kuß sei Scherz", op. 32 (Sechs Gesänge für eine Singstimme mit Piano) no. 4, published 1860 [ voice and piano ], Offenbach am Main: Johann André [sung text not yet checked]
by Friedrich Klose (1862 - 1942), "Sie sagen wohl, ein Kuss sei Scherz", op. 8 no. 4, published 1892 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Verbunden. Neun Gedichte für Mezzo-Sopran mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 4, Berlin, Fr. Luckhardt [sung text not yet checked]
by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Der Kuß", op. 115 (Sieben Lieder) no. 2, published 1842 [ voice and piano ], Dresden, Paul [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (George Chaldezos) , "A kiss", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: George Chaldezos

This text was added to the website: 2009-04-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 107

A kiss

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

They say a kiss is but a joke,
They say a kiss is but a game
Oh how much a kiss is to my heart,
Oh how a kiss befell my heart!  

I do not kiss you for a joke,
I kiss you in all seriousness,
And if you kiss me differently,
I pray you learn to do it better.  

I tell you that with this one kiss
I am yours and I stay yours,
I tell you, that I must forever
Avow that I am your wife.  

You told me once the same yourself
You love in earnest, not in jest,
And if my mouth asks you in doubt
You kiss it back into my heart.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2010 by George Chaldezos, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), no title, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in 3. Liebesfrühling, in 5. Fünfter Strauß. Verbunden or Wiedergewonnen], no. 53
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2010-12-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 117