Quiet as a breath | LiederNet

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by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Leise wie ein Hauch

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Leise wie ein Hauch,
Zärtlich wie ein Lied,
Furchtsam wie der Schatten,
Und so treu doch auch --
    Arme kleine Liebe,
    Die ich hart verstieß,
    Die ich oft des Tages
    Zürnend von mir wies,
Stehst du nun zur Nacht,
Stehst vor meiner Thür,
Rufst mit süßer Stimme,
Bis ich aufgemacht?
    Arme kleine Liebe,
    Hast nun doch gesiegt,
    Daß dir meine Seele
    Still zu Füßen liegt.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• L. Héritte-Viardot

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Anna Ritter, Gedichte, Neunte Auflage, Stuttgart und Berlin: J.G. Cotta'sche Buchhandlung Nachfolger, 1900, page 194.

Text Authorship:

by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Liebe", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Nach Jahren, no. 25 [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 Paul Hermann Franz Graener (1872 - 1944), "Liebe", op. 21 (Drei Lieder) no. 1, published 1909 [sung text not yet checked]
by Louise Pauline Marie Héritte-Viardot (1841 - 1918), "Arme kleine Liebe", from Drei Lieder, no. 1
Publisher: Certosa Verlag [external link] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Amour", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-08-24
Line count: 16
Word count: 64

Quiet as a breath

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Add this translation to the Basket

Quiet as a breath,
Gentle as a song,
Timid as the shadow,
And yet so faithful too --
    Poor little love,
    That I banished harshly,
    That often during the days
    I angrily sent away from me,
Are you now standing at night,
Standing in front of my door,
Calling with a sweet voice,
Until I have opened?
    Poor little love,
    You have now been victorious after all,
    So that my soul
    Lies quietly at your feet.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of title(s):
"Arme kleine Liebe" = "Poor little love"
"Liebe" = "Love"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 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 Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Liebe", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Nach Jahren, no. 25
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-11-07
Line count: 16
Word count: 75