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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by (Karl) Ludwig Pfau (1821 - 1894)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

O Blätter, dürre Blätter
 (Sung text for setting by A. Zemlinsky)
 See original
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
O Blätter, dürre Blätter!
Wie trauert ihr so sehr!
Als ihr noch gabet grünen Schein --
Da war mein lieber Schatz noch mein,
Den hab' ich nimmermehr.

O Blätter, dürre Blätter!
Ihr habt ihn oft gesehn,
Wann er mir Treu versprochen hat -
Ach! kann die Liebe wie ein Blatt
In einem Jahr vergehn?

O Blätter, dürre Blätter!
Es war ein falscher Knab';
Euch klag' ich es, ihr schweiget still,
Weil ich sonst niemand sagen will,
Wie lieb' ich ihn noch hab'!

Composition:

    Set to music by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942), "O Blätter, dürre Blätter", op. 5, Heft 1 no. 3 (1897?), copyright © 1898 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig & Kopenhagen: Wilhelm Hansen, Musik-Verlag

Text Authorship:

  • by (Karl) Ludwig Pfau (1821 - 1894), no title, appears in Gedichte [1847], in 3. Lieder und Stimmen, in Mädchenlieder, no. 11

See other settings of this text.

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

  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "O leaves, withered leaves", copyright ©


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 84

O leaves, withered leaves
 (Sung text translation for setting by A. Zemlinsky)
 See original
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
 O leaves, withered leaves!
 How very mournful you are!
 When you still had a green gleam,
 my dear treasure still was mine -
 he whom I have no longer.
 
 O leaves, withered leaves!
 You had seen him so often,
 when he promised to be true -
 alas! can Love, like a leaf,
 pass away in only one year?
 
 O leaves, withered leaves!
 He was a false boy;
 If I lament to you, you will keep silent,
 for I will tell no one else
 how much I love him still.

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.
    licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by (Karl) Ludwig Pfau (1821 - 1894), no title, appears in Gedichte [1847], in 3. Lieder und Stimmen, in Mädchenlieder, no. 11
    • Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 88

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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