Ah, were I but the footstool

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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Ach, wenn ich nur der Schemel wär

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

(Der Kopf spricht:)
 Ach, wenn ich nur der Schemel wär,
 Worauf der Liebsten Füße ruhn!
 Und stampfte sie mich noch so sehr,
 Ich wollte doch nicht klagen tun.

(Das Herz spricht:)
 Ach, wenn ich nur das Kißchen wär,
 Wo sie die Nadeln steckt hinein!
 Und stäche sie mich noch so sehr,
 Ich wollte mich der Stiche freun.

(Das Lied spricht:)
 Ach, wär ich nur das Stück Papier,
 Das sie als Papillote braucht!
 Ich wollte heimlich flüstern ihr
 Ins Ohr, was in mir lebt und haucht.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Klein

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View text with all available footnotes

Confirmed with Heinrich Heine, Buch der Lieder, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg, 1827, page 138.

Text Authorship:

by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 34 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-10-14
Line count: 15
Word count: 86

Ah, were I but the footstool

NOTE: the footnotes have been removed from this text; return to general view

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

(The head speaks:)
 Ah, were I but the footstool
 Upon which the feet of the beloved rest!
 And though she stamped upon me ever so hard,
 Yet I would make no complaint.

(The heart speaks:)
 Ah were I but the pincushion
 Into which she pokes the needles!
 And though she stabbed me ever so much,
 I would rejoice over the stabs.

(The poem speaks:)
 Ah, were but the piece of paper
 That she uses as curlpaper!
 Secretly I would whisper into
 Her ear what lives and breathe within me.

About the headline (FAQ)

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Translations of title(s):
"Der Verliebte" = "The man in love"
"Ach, wenn ich nur der Schemel wär" = "Ah, were I but the footstool"
"Ach, wenn ich" = "Ah, were I"
"Wünsche" = "Wishes"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by Sharon Krebs, (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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 34
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2018-04-19
Line count: 15
Word count: 90