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Sie saßen und tranken am Teetisch Und sprachen von Liebe viel. Die Herren, die waren ästhetisch, Die Damen von zartem Gefühl. Die Liebe muß sein platonisch, Der dürre Hofrat sprach. Die Hofrätin lächelt ironisch, und dennoch seufzte sie: Ach! Der Domherr öffnet den Mund weit: Die Liebe sei nicht zu roh, Sie schadet sonst der Gesundheit Das Fräulein lispelt: Wie so? Die Gräfin spricht wehmütig: Die Liebe ist ein Passion! Und präsentieret gütig Die Tasse dem Herrn Baron. Am Tische war noch ein Plätzchen, Mein Liebchen, da hast du gefehlt. Du hättest so hübsch, mein Schätzchen, Von deiner Liebe erzählt.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Heinrich Heine, Buch der Lieder, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg, 1827, page 154.
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 50 [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 Serge Bortkiewicz (1877 - 1952), "Sie saßen und tranken am Teetisch", op. 2 (Sechs Lieder für Gesang und Klavier) no. 6 (1904) [ voice and piano ], not published [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Am Teetisch", op. 40 (Drei Heine-Lieder) no. 3 (1926), published 1929 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Xaver Gardeweg (b. 1944), "Sie saßen und tranken", 1997 [ medium voice and piano ], from 7 Lieder nach gedichten von H. Heine, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernd Hänschke (b. 1948), "Von der Liebe am Teetisch", 1988-89, from Von der Liebe am Teetisch : Heine-Zyklus, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adalbert (Béla) Laszky (1867 - 1935), "Am Teetisch", <<1908 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Klavier, no. 19 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Norbert Laufer (b. 1960), "Am Teetisch", 1988-91 [ baritone and piano ], from Drei Heine-Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Abraham Dirk Loman (1868 - 1954), "Am Theethisch", published 1929 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by James Rothstein (b. 1871), "Sie saßen und tranken am Teetisch", op. 64 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Am Teetisch", 1854, published 1878 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Steffen Wolf (b. 1971), "Sie saßen und tranken am Teetisch", 2006 [ alto and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855) , no title, appears in Intermezzo lyrique, no. 51 ; composed by Émile Trépard.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (Edgar Alfred Bowring) , no title, appears in The Poems of Heine Complete, first published 1861
- ENG English (Iain Sneddon) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Charles Beltjens) , no title, appears in Intermezzo lyrique, no. 50, first published 1827
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , copyright © 2015, (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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 100
They sat and sipped at the tea table And talked a lot about love. The gentlemen, they were aesthetes, The ladies full of tender emotions. “Love must be platonic”, The wizened councillor said. His wife smiles ironically, And still she sighed: “Ah!” The canon opens his mouth wide: “Love should not be too coarse, Otherwise, it is harmful to your health.” The young lady lisps: “How so?” The countess speaks wistfully: “Love is a passion!” And graciously presents The teacup to the baron. There was still a place at the table My darling, you were missing. You would have been so charming, my darling, As you talked of your love.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Am Teetisch" = "At the tea table"
"Am Theethisch" = "At the tea table"
"Sie saßen und tranken" = "They sat and sipped"
"Sie saßen und tranken am Teetisch" = "They sat and sipped at the tea table"
"Von der Liebe am Teetisch" = "Of Love at the tea table"
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), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 50
This text was added to the website: 2023-01-02
Line count: 20
Word count: 110