Unter Blüten des Mais spielt' ich mit ihrer Hand,
Koste liebend mit ihr, schaute mein schwebendes
Bild im Auge des Mädchens,
Raubt' ihr bebend den ersten Kuß.
Zuckend fliegt nun der Kuß, wie ein versengend Feu'r,
Mir durch Mark und Gebein. Du, die Unsterblichkeit
Durch die Lippen mir sprühte,
Wehe, wehe mir Kühlung zu!
View text with all available footnotes
Note: this text was published posthumously in an altered form by Johann Heinrich Voss.
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):
- by Gottlob Bachmann (1763 - 1840), "Der Kuß", op. 33 no. 3 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Oden, beym Clavier zu singen, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Der Kuß", op. 19 (Fünf Gedichte) no. 1 (1858), published 1862 [ voice and piano ], Bonn, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Georg Christoph Grossheim (1764 - 1841), "Der Kuß", 1805/6? [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Kretschmar , "Der Kuß", op. 16 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], Dessau, Kahle's Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Urspruch (1850 - 1907), "Der Kuss", op. 16 no. 1, published 1882 [ men's chorus (2T3B) ], Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El bes", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De kus", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The kiss", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le baiser", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Il bacio", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Alfonso Sebastián) , "El beso", copyright © 2021, (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: 8
Word count: 55
Onder bloesems van mei nam ik al spelend haar hand,
Kuste innig met haar, zag dan mijn zwevende
Beeld in ’t oog van het meisje,
Plukte bevend haar eerste kus.
Heftig vliegt nu de kus, als een verzengend vuur,
Mij door merg en door been.
Jij die onsterf’lijkheid door mijn lippen deed stromen,
Waai mij, waai mij toch koelte toe!
