Ah, how I envy you, westwind | Ah, how I envy you, westwind

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sometimes misattributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) and by Marianne von Willemer (1784 - 1860)

Translation © by Elisabeth Siekhaus

Suleika II

(Sung text for setting by F. Schubert)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG ENG ENG FIN FRE HEB ITA

Ach, um deine feuchten Schwingen,
West, wie sehr ich dich beneide:
Denn du kannst ihm Kunde bringen
Was ich in der Trennung leide!

Die Bewegung deiner Flügel
Weckt im Busen stilles Sehnen;
Blumen, Auen, Wald und Hügel
Stehn bei deinem Hauch in Thränen.

Doch dein mildes sanftes Wehen
Kühlt die wunden Augenlieder;
Ach, für Leid müßt' ich vergehen,
Hofft' ich nicht zu sehn ihn wieder.

Eile denn zu meinem Lieben,
Spreche sanft zu seinem Herzen;
Doch vermeid' ihn zu betrüben
Und verbirg ihm meine Schmerzen. 

Sag ihm, aber sag's bescheiden:
Seine Liebe sey mein Leben,
Freudiges Gefühl von beiden
Wird mir seine Nähe geben.

Note: Marianne von Willemer's poem Westwind was published anonymously with the title Suleika as part of Goethe's West-östlicher Divan, Buch Suleika - Suleika Nameh, with a few textual revisions by Goethe.

Note: modernized spelling would change "Augenlieder" to "Augenlider", "sey" to "sei", and "Thränen" to "Tränen", etc.

Composition:

Franz Peter Schubert

Text Authorship:

sometimes misattributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
by Marianne von Willemer (1784 - 1860), title 1: "Suleika", title 2: "Westwind", written 1815, first published 1819

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Suleika II", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Suleika", copyright ©
ENG English (Elisabeth Siekhaus) , "Ah, how I envy you, westwind", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English [singable] (Shula Keller) , "Suleika", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Suleika II", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
HEB Hebrew (עברית) (Hamutal Atariah) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Ah, come invidio il tuo soffiare", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 111

Ah, how I envy you, westwind

(Sung text translation for setting by F. Schubert)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Ah, how I envy you, westwind
For your moist wings:
Because you can bring him tidings
What I suffer in our separation.

The movement of your wings
Awakens quiet yearning in my breast;
Flowers, fields, forest and hills
Stand in tears at your breath.

But your mild gentle blowing
Cools my aching eyelids;
Ah, I would pass away with sorrow,
Did I not hope to see him again.

Hurry then to my beloved,
Talk softly to his heart;
But take care not to sadden him,
And conceal from him my pains.

Tell him, but say it modestly:
That his love is my life;
Happiness in them both
His presence will bring me.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 by Elisabeth Siekhaus, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) misattributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) and by Marianne von Willemer (1784 - 1860), title 1: "Suleika", title 2: "Westwind", written 1815, first published 1819
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This text was added to the website: 2008-06-14
Line count: 20
Word count: 112