by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation by Georges Clerc (flourished c1881)
Was will die einsame Thräne?
Language: German (Deutsch)
Was will die einsame Thräne? Sie trübt mir ja den Blick. Sie blieb aus alten Zeiten In meinem Auge zurück. Sie [hatte]1 viel' leuchtende Schwestern, Die alle zerflossen sind, Mit meinen Qualen und Freuden, Zerflossen in Nacht und Wind. Wie Nebel sind auch zerflossen Die blauen Sternelein, Die mir [jene]2 Freuden und Qualen Gelächelt ins Herz hinein. Ach, meine Liebe selber Zerfloß wie eitel Hauch! Du alte, einsame Thräne, Zerfließe jetzunder auch!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Buch der Lieder von Heinrich Heine, Sechsundfünfzigste Auflage (56th edition), Hamburg, Hoffmann und Campe, 1887, page 147. Note: in this edition, the poem is number 29.
Modern German would change "Thräne" to "Träne".
1 Franz: "hat"2 Cornelius: "die"
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), title 1: "Was will die einsame Träne", title 2: "Was will die einsame Thräne?", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 27
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Marta Garcia Cadena) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Jos. Van de Vijver) , "Eenzame traan"
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Wat wil het eenzame traantje?", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "What does this solitary tear mean?", copyright ©
- ENG English (Emma Lazarus) , appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Que veut cette larme solitaire", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Cosa vuole questa lacrima solitaria?", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 74
Se peut‑il qu'une larme vienne Matches base text
Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)
Se peut-il qu'une larme vienne Obscurcir encore mon regard? La pauvrette arrive en retard: C'est déjà de l'histoire ancienne. Que de soeurs elle eut autrefois! Maintenant qui se souvient d'elles? Mon amour a fermé ses ailes Et le vent a couvert sa voix Comme flotte au ciel une brume Sans ternir son azur vainqueur, Peine et joie au fond de mon coeur N'ont jamais laissé d'amertume. Pauvre larme, ô dernier adieu De l'amour des jeunes années, Le soleil a bu tes ainées: Rejoins-les dans le grand ciel bleu.
Composition:
- Set to music by André Messager (1853 - 1929), "Se peut-il qu'une larme vienne", 1884, published [1885] [ medium voice and piano ], from Nouveau Printemps, no. 1, from Quinze mélodies, no. 11, Paris, Éd. Enoch et Costallat
Text Authorship:
- by Georges Clerc (flourished c1881), no title, appears in Mon videpoche, in 3. Traductions et variations d'après H. Heine, no. 11, Paris, Éd. P. Ollendorff, first published 1881
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), title 1: "Was will die einsame Träne", title 2: "Was will die einsame Thräne?", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 27
Go to the general single-text view
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-20
Line count: 16
Word count: 88