To * | Ah if you were mine, it would be a finer life

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by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

O wärst du mein!

(Sung text for setting by R. Strauss)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

O wärst du mein, es wär' ein schönes Leben!
So aber ists Entsagen nur und Trauern,
Nur ein verlornes Grollen und Bedauern;
Ich kann es meinem Schicksal nicht vergeben.

Undank tut wohl und jedes Leid der Erde;
Ja! meine Freud' in Särgen, Leich' an Leiche,
Sind ein gelinder Gram, wenn ichs vergleiche
Dem Schmerz, daß ich dich nie besitzen werde.

Composition:

Richard Georg Strauss

Text Authorship:

by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "An *", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Liebesklänge

See other settings of this text.

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) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "To *", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "A *", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2004-05-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 65

To *

(Sung text translation for setting by R. Strauss)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Ah if you were mine, it would be a finer life,
But instead it is only renunciation and grief,
only wasted lament and regret.
I cannot forgive my fate.

Ingratitude is good, and all the sorrow on earth;
Yes, my joys in coffins, corpse upon corpse -
All these are small griefs when I compare them to
The agony that I will never possess you.

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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "An *", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Liebesklänge
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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 67