from Volkslieder (Folksongs)
Translation by Patrick Joseph O'Reilly

One morning very early (I love my love)
Language: English  after the English 
One morning very early – one morning in the spring – 
I heard a maid complaining, and sadly she did sing.
The tears were in her weary eyes as dolefully sang she – 
Oh, I love my love because I know my love loves me!

Oh, cruel were his parents who sent my love to sea,
And cruel, cruel was the ship that bore my love from me!
Yet I forgive, and I’ll forget their cruel enmity,
For I love my love because I know my love loves me!

Oh, if I were a little bird I’d find him in the west,
And if  I were a nightingale I’d sing my love to rest;
In all the wide, wide world there is none so dear as he,
For I love my love because I know my love loves me!

Text Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803) ; composed by Johann Friedrich Hugo, Freiherr von Dalberg, Karl Sigmund Freiherr von Seckendorff.

Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson

This text was added to the website: 2016-05-16
Line count: 12
Word count: 139