[O]1 Schmetterling sprich,
Was fliehest du mich?
Warum doch so eilig,
Jetzt fern und dann nah?

Jetzt fern und dann nah,
Jetzt hier und dann da -- 
Ich will dich nicht haschen,
Ich thu' dir kein Leid.

Ich thu' dir kein Leid:
O bleib allezeit!
Und wär ich ein Blümchen,
So spräch' ich zu dir,

So spräch' ich zu dir:
Komm, komm doch zu mir!
Ich schenk' dir mein Herzchen,
Wie gut bin ich dir!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Gedichte von Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Leipzig, Weidmann'sche Buchhandlung, 1843, page 533.

¹ omitted by Schumann

Text Authorship:

• by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), "Wie gut bin ich dir!", appears in Kinderlieder [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 Otto Dresel (1826 - 1890), "Schmetterling", 1849 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Schmetterling", op. 79 no. 2 (1849), published 1849 [ voice and piano ], from Liederalbum für die Jugend, no. 2, Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Vlinder", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "How fond I am of you!", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le papillon", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: John Versmoren , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 74