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Als ich dich sah in holder Scham Zum ersten Mal erprangen, Wie wundersam, wie wundersam Ist's meiner Seel' ergangen: Gleich wollte sie vor Wonn' und Lust, Mein Lieb, die Flügel heben, Und sturmesschnell aus meiner Brust Zu dir hinüberschweben! Und als ich zagend sprach zu dir: Sag, willst du sein mein eigen? Und lächelnd du gabst Antwort mir Mit zaubrischem Verneigen, Und ich -- weiß nicht, wie mir's geschah -- Dich an mein Herz gezogen: Hilf Gott! da war, eh' ich's versah, Die Seele mir entflogen! In deinem Busen ließ im Nu Glückselig sie sich nieder, Da wohnt sie nun voll Freud' nnd Ruh, Kehrt nimmer, nimmer wieder: So muß ich denn mit gutem Grund Dir in die Augen sehen, Ich will ja nur, mein Lieb, allstund Nach meiner Seele spähen!
Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 163.
Text Authorship:
- by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Als ich dich sah in holder Scham", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 184 [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 Philipp Tietz (1816 - 1878) [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "When I saw you in lovely shyness", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-24
Line count: 24
Word count: 130
When in [your] lovely shyness I saw you In your resplendence for the first time, What a wondrous, wondrous thing Happened to my soul: Immediately, my love, it wanted To lift its wings in bliss and joy, And, as quickly as a storm, to leave My breast and waft over to you! And as I timidly said to you: Tell me, will you be my own? And smiling, you gave me an answer With an enchanting inclination [of your head], And [when] I -- I know not how it happened -- Took you to my heart: May God help me! Before I knew it, My soul had flown away on me! In your breast in a trice It settled itself blissfully, There it now lives full of joy and peace, [It] shall never, never return: Thus I must, with good reason, Gaze into your eyes, Only because, my love, all the time I wish to see how my soul is doing!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Als ich dich sah in holder Scham", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 184
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 160