Request | When you give me your little hand

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wenn du die kleine Hand mir gibst

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE ITA

Wenn du die kleine Hand mir gibst,
Die so viel Ungesagtes sagt,
Hab ich dich jemals dann gefragt,
Ob du mich liebst?

Ich will ja nicht, daß du mich liebst,
Will nur, daß ich dich nahe weiß
Und daß du manchmal stumm und leis
Die Hand mir gibst.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Lindauer-Cattaneo • J. Marx • P. Schick • L. Schütz

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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

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Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, page 73.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Bitte", written 1901 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-02
Line count: 8
Word count: 49

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Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

When you give me your little hand,
Your hand that says so many unsaid things,
Have I ever asked you then,
If you love me?

For I do not want you to love me,
I only want to know that you are near
And that sometimes, mutely and quietly,
You give me your hand.

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Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2012 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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Bitte", written 1901
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This text was added to the website: 2012-07-28
Line count: 8
Word count: 55