I stand on the mountaintop | I stand on the mountaintop

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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)

Translation © by Iain Sneddon

Ich steh' auf des Berges Spitze

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Ich steh auf des Berges Spitze,
Und werde sentimental.
«Wenn ich ein Vöglein wäre!»
Seufz ich vieltausendmal.

Wenn ich eine Schwalbe wäre,
So flög ich zu dir, mein Kind,
Und baute mir mein Nestchen,
Wo deine Fenster sind.

Wenn ich eine Nachtigall wäre,
So flög ich zu dir, mein Kind,
Und sänge dir Nachts meine Lieder
Herab von der grünen Lind'.

Wenn ich ein Gimpel wäre,
So flög ich gleich an dein Herz;
Du bist ja hold den Gimpeln,
Und heilest Gimpelschmerz.

Confirmed with Heinrich Heine, Buch der Lieder, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg, 1827, page 157.

Text Authorship:

by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 53 [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 Don Forsythe (1932 - 2015), "Ich steh' auf des Berges Spitze", published c2004-5 [ low voice and piano ], from Eine Dichtererzählung - Herbstzyklus, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, a translation by Theodore Martin, Sir, KCB KCVO (1816 - 1909) ; composed by Herbert Bedford.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

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

ENG English (Iain Sneddon) , "I stand on the mountaintop", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Charles Beltjens) , no title, appears in Intermezzo lyrique, no. 53, first published 1827
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website: 2008-04-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 82

I stand on the mountaintop

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I stand on the mountaintop,
And become sentimental.
"If only I were a bird!"
I sigh a thousand times.

If I were a swallow,
I’d fly to you, my dear,
And build my little nest
On your windowsill.

If I were a nightingale
I’d fly to you, my dear,
And sing my songs to you all night
Down from the green linden tree.

If I were a finch,
I’d fly straight to your heart;
You are kind to finches
And can heal finch-pain.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 by Iain Sneddon, (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 Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 53
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-01-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 83