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by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803)

Liebes, leichtes, luft'ges Ding
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
  Liebes, leichtes, luft'ges Ding, 
Schmetterling,
Das da über Blumen schwebet,
Nur von Tau und Blüten lebet,
Blüte selbst, ein fliegend Blatt,
Das mit weichem Rosenfinger!
Wer bepurpurt hat.

  War's ein Sylphe, der dein Kleid
So bestreut?
Dich aus Morgenduft gewebet,
Nur auf Tage dich belebet?
Seelchen, und dein kleines Herz
Pocht da unter meinem Finger,
Fühlet Todesschmerz.

  Fleuch dahin, o Seelchen, sei 
Froh und frei,
Mir ein Bild, was ich sein werde,
Wenn die Raupe dieser Erde
Auch wie du ein Zephyr ist,
Und in Duft und Tau und Honig
Jede Blüte küßt.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Herders Volkslieder, ed. Carl Redlich, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1885, page 348.


Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), "Das Lied vom Schmetterlinge" [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 Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Die Sylphide", op. 9, Heft 10 no. 2 (1838) [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Karl Guido Nakonz (1833 - 1907), "Der Schmetterling", op. 5 no. 2, published 1884 [ voice and piano ], from Kinderlieder, Heft III, no. 2, Leipzig, Fritzsch [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wilhelm Pohl (1759 - 1807), "Das Lied vom Schmetterlinge", published 1785 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Johann Xaver Sterkel (1750 - 1817), "Das Lied vom Schmetterlinge", StWV 54 no. 3 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Deutsche Lieder mit Begleitung des Forte-Piano - 3. Sammlung, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , John H. Campbell , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 94

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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