Then and now | When I was still free of love

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by Johann Peter Eckermann (1792 - 1854)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Sonst und jetzt

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

   Als ich noch der Liebe ledig,
Frey im Herzen,
Leicht in Scherzen,
Schöne Mädchen wild umschweifte,
Fühlt ich mich gar keck beglücket.
 
   Denn das war ein lustig Leben!
Jene grüßt' ich,
Diese küßt' ich,
Und so gaukelte ich immer
Wieder fort zu einer Neuen.
 
   Aber das ist anders worden!
Und nur Eine
Ganz alleine
Hat mit zauberischen Banden
Ganz und gar mich jetzt umgarnet.
 
Und ich bin wohl zu beklagen:
Denn die Eine,
Die ich meyne,
Hält mit ihren beiden Armen
Fest umschlungen mich -- am Busen.

Confirmed with Gedichte von J.P. Eckermann, Hannover: [no publisher], 1821, pages 16-17

Text Authorship:

by Johann Peter Eckermann (1792 - 1854), "Sonst und jetzt", appears in Gedichte, in Lieder [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 Ferdinand von Hiller (1811 - 1885), "Sonst und jetzt", published 1826 [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Then and now", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2016-07-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 87

Then and now

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

   When I was still free of love,
Free in my heart,
Light in jesting,
[When I] roved wildly about beautiful maidens,
I felt myself to be quite pertly delighted.
 
   For that was a merry life!
I greeted that one,
This one I kissed,
And thus I fluttered ever
Again off to a new one.
 
   But that has changed!
And only one
All alone
Has with enchanting bonds
Utterly and completely ensnared me.
 
And I am surely to be pitied:
For the one
Whom I mean,
Holds me with her two arms
Tightly embraced -- upon her breast.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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 Johann Peter Eckermann (1792 - 1854), "Sonst und jetzt", appears in Gedichte, in Lieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-07-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 97