by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FIN FRE ITA NOR POR SPA SWE
Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!
Meine Augen schlag' ich nieder,
Wie ertappt auf böser That;
Selber darf ich nicht getrauen,
Ihrem Wachsen zuzuschauen:
Deine Neugier ist Verrath.

Bienen, wenn sie Zellen bauen,
Lassen auch nicht zu sich schauen,
Schauen selber auch nicht zu.
[Wann]1 die reichen Honigwaben
Sie zu Tag gefördert haben,
Dann vor allen nasche du!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   G. Mahler 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Mahler: "Wenn"

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "No miris les meves cançons!", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Look not into my songs!", copyright ©
  • FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Non curiosare fra i miei canti!", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , "Kikk ikke på mine sanger!", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • POR Portuguese (Português) (Caê Vieira) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elena María Accinelli) , "¡No miréis mis canciones!", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SWE Swedish (Svenska) (Yvonne Helander) , "Tjuvkika inte på mina sånger", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 58

Look not into my songs!
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Look not into my songs!
My eyes I lower,
as if I've been caught in an evil deed.
I can't even trust myself
to watch them grow.
Your curiosity is a betrayal!

Bees, when they build their cells,
also do not let anyone observe them;
even themselves.
When1 the rich honeycombs
are brought out to the light of day,
then you shall taste them before everyone else!

View original text (without footnotes)
1 "if" in the Mahler setting.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 67