My heart, I wish to ask you

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by Eligius Franz Joseph, Freiherr von Münch-Bellinghausen (1806 - 1871), as Friedrich Halm

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Frage und Antwort

(Sung text for setting by A. Wallnöfer)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Mein Herz, ich will dich fragen,
Was ist denn Liebe, sag'?--
"Zwei Seelen und ein Gedanke,
Zwei Herzen und ein Schlag!"
 
Und sprich: woher kommt Liebe?--
"Sie kommt, und sie ist da!"
Und sprich: wie schwindet Liebe?--
"Die war's nicht, der's geschah!"
 
Und wann ist Lieb' am reinsten?--
"Die ihrer selbst vergißt!"
Und wann ist Lieb' am tiefsten?--
"Wenn sie am stillsten ist!"
 
Und wann ist Lieb' am reichsten?--
"Das ist sie, wenn sie gibt!"
Und sprich, wie redet Liebe?--
"Sie redet nicht, sie liebt!"

Composition:

Adolf Wallnöfer

Text Authorship:

by Eligius Franz Joseph, Freiherr von Münch-Bellinghausen (1806 - 1871), as Friedrich Halm, no title

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Andrew Shackleton , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2005-07-28
Line count: 16
Word count: 86

My heart, I wish to ask you

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Wallnöfer)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

My heart, I wish to ask you,
What, then, is love, tell me?--
"Two souls and a single thought,
Two hearts and a single heartbeat!"
 
And tell me: where does love come from?--
"It comes and it is there!"
And tell me: how does love vanish?--
"It was not love if that happened!"
 
And what is pure love? --
"That which forgets itself!"
And when is love at its most profound?--
"When it is at its quietest!"
 
And when is love at its richest?--
"Love is that when it gives!"
And say, how does love speak?--
"It does not speak, it loves!"

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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 Eligius Franz Joseph, Freiherr von Münch-Bellinghausen (1806 - 1871), as Friedrich Halm, no title
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This text was added to the website: 2016-09-29
Line count: 16
Word count: 102