English translations of Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, opus 6

And though you may place between me and her
Broad rivers and valleys and hills,
Ye stern lords, ye shall never separate us,
The song, the song has wings.
I am a minstrel, well known,
I take myself off on a journey,
And from now on I shall sing through the whole land
Only the one lay:
    I love you, you sweet one,
    You my joy and agony,
    I love you and I greet you
    A thousand, thousand times!

And when I wander through the leafy forest,
Where finch and blackbird dart:
The little folk soon overhear my song
And begin to whistle it.
And upon the heath the wind hears it
And merrily spreads its wings,
And carries it quickly across the broad river
And over the mountains and further on:
    I love you, you sweet one,
    You my joy and agony,
    I love you and I greet you
    A thousand, thousand times!

Though city and village, through meadow and wheatfield
I play it upon my travels,
Soon by the water-spring at night
The maids with their jugs sing it,
The huntsman hums it
While spooring in the beech grove;
The fisherman throws his net into the sea
And sings it to the sound of his oar strokes:
    I love you, you sweet one,
    You my joy and agony,
    I love you and I greet you
    A thousand, thousand times!

And the brisk wind and the woodland birds,
And fishermen, maids and hunters,
They must all be messengers
And carriers of my love.
Thus in the end it comes in earnest,
It comes in jest to your ears;
And when you hear it, your heart throbs,
You discern who sent [the message]:
    I love you, you sweet one,
    You my joy and agony,
    I love you and I greet you
    A thousand, thousand times!

You blue eyes, good night!
Close now to lovely dreams,
So that you might wake bright and fresh,
When the clouds trim themselves with gold;
You blue eyes, good night!

You red lips, good night!
When stars appear in heaven,
The rose closes its splendid chalice;
So, close yourselves to lovely silence,
You red lips, good night!

You lovely face, good night!
Who would miss the daybreak,
When your bright beauty awakens;
Thus, shelter yourself deep in soft cushions,
You lovely face, good night!

The quiet lotus blossom
sprouts from the pond so blue,
its leaves all glimmer and sparkle,
its bud is white as snow.

The moon pours down from heaven
all of its golden shine,
pours all its golden moonbeams
into her blossom heart.

In water 'round the blossom
circles the whitest swan
it sings so sweet, so softly
and gazes on the bloom.

It sings so sweet, so softly
and would but perish in song.
O blossom, whitest blossom,
can you conceive the song?