Love's Longing | My first thought

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by Ludwig I, König von Bayern (1786 - 1868)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Liebessehnen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Mein erster Gedanke,
Mein letzter Gedanke,
Geliebte, bist du;
Wenn ich erwache,
Wenn ich entschlummre,
Gedenke ich dein.

Von dir kaum geschieden,
Verlangt es mich sehnend
Von Neuem zurück;
Ich zähle die Stunden
Mit heißem Verlangen
Dich wiederzusehn.

Es dränget die Seele
Zur glücklichen Nähe,
Ich eile zu dir;
Wenn ich dich gefunden,
So bin ich beseligt,
Im Himmel schon hier!

J. Lang sets stanza 1

Confirmed with Gedichte des Königs Ludwig von Bayern, Erster Theil, zweite vermehrte Ausgabe, München: Verlag der Literarischen Artistischen Anstalt der J.G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, page 260.

Text Authorship:

by Ludwig I, König von Bayern (1786 - 1868), "Liebessehnen", first published 1829 [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 Karl Graefe , "Liebessehnen", op. 5 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1898 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, K. Vogel [sung text not yet checked]
by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Liebessehnen", op. 1 (Acht deutsche Lieder) no. 3 (1828), published 1831, stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], München, Falter und Sohn, note: published without an opus number; designated by Lang in 1867 as opus 1 [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Love's Longing", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2006-06-12
Line count: 18
Word count: 61

Love's Longing

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

My first thought,
My last thought,
Beloved, is [of] you!
When I awaken,
When I fall into slumber,
I think of you.

When I have barely left you,
I yearningly desire
To return to you anew;
I count the hours
With burning longing
To see you again.

My soul is impelled toward
Your happy presence;
I hurry to you.
When I have found you
I am filled with bliss,
In heaven already here [on earth]!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 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 Ludwig I, König von Bayern (1786 - 1868), "Liebessehnen", first published 1829
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2006-06-12
Line count: 18
Word count: 75