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Ich pflückte eine kleine Pfirsichblüte Und brachte sie der schönen jungen Frau, Die Lippen hat -- o rosiger, beim Himmel, Und zarter als die feinsten Pfirsichblüten. Und eine schwarze Schwalbe fing ich ein Und brachte sie der schönen jungen Frau, Die Augenbrauen hat, so schlank und dunkel Wie einer Schwalbe schlankes Flügelpaar. Am andern Tage war die Pfirsichblüte Verwelkt, die Schwalbe aber war [entflohen]1 In jene fernen blauen Berge, wo Der Genius der Pfirsichblüten wohnt. Jedoch der Mund der schönen jungen Frau Blieb süß und rosig, wie er voher glänzte, Und ihrer Augenbrauen Flügelpaar Flog nicht davon und ziert sie immerzu.
Confirmed with Hans Bethge, Die chinesische Flöte, Insel Verlag, 1918, page 55.
1 Strauss: "entflohn"Text Authorship:
- by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946), "Liebesgeschenke", appears in Die chinesische Flöte [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 Hans Altmann (1904 - 1961), "Liebesgeschenke", op. 24 no. 6, published c1963 [ voice and piano ], from 7 Lieder aus Die chinesische Flöte, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anna Hegeler (1879 - 1937), "Liebesgeschenke", 1911 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arie Gijsbert Schuyer (1881 - 1941), "Liebesgeschenke" [ voice and piano ], from 15 Gesänge, no. 9, Offenbach am Main : Johann André [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "Liebesgeschenke", op. 77 no. 3 (1928), published 1929 [ voice and piano ], from Gesänge des Orients. Nachdichtungen aus dem Persischen und Chinesischen von Hans Bethge, no. 3, Leipzig: F.E.C. Leuckart [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Georg Wolfsohn (1881 - 1955), "Liebesgeschenke", published 1922 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder aus der Chinesischen Flöte des Hans Bethge, no. 5, Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Presents d’amor", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Gifts of Love", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Cadeaux d'amoureux", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Alberto Pedrotti
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 101
I picked a little peach blossom And brought it to the beautiful young woman, Who has lips -- oh! rosier, by heaven, And more delicate than the finest peach blossoms. And I caught a black swallow, And brought it to the beautiful young woman, Who has eyebrows, so slender and dark As the slender pair of a swallow's wings. The next day the peach blossom was Withered, but the swallow had escaped to those distant blue mountains, In which the genius of peach blossoms lives. But the lips of the beautiful young woman Remained sweet and rosy, gleaming as before, And the winged pair of her eyebrows Did not fly away and still adorns her.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2014 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946), "Liebesgeschenke", appears in Die chinesische Flöte
This text was added to the website: 2014-03-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 114