Ah God, how painful is parting

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from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Scheiden

(Sung text for setting by J. Brahms)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

Ach Gott, wie weh thut Scheiden!
Hat mir mein Herz verwundt;
So trab' ich üb'r die Heiden
Und traur' zu aller Stund,
Der Stunden der sind allsoviel,
Mein Herz trägt heimlich Leiden,
Wiewol ich oft fröhlich bin.

Hatt' mir ein Gärtlein bauet,
Von Veil und grünem Klee,
Ist mir zu früh  erfroren,
Thut meinem Herzen weh;
Ist mir erfrorn bei Sonnenschein,
Ein Kraut: Je länger je lieber,
Ein Blümlein: Vergiß nicht mein.

Das Blümlein das ich meine,
Das ist von edler Art,
Ist aller Tugend reine,
Ihr Mündlein das ist zart,
Ihr' Äuglein die sind hübsch und fein,
Wenn ich an sie gedenke,
Wie gern ich bei ihr wollt' sein! 

Mich dünkt in all mein Sinnen
Und wenn ich bei ihr bin,
Sie sei ein Kaiserinne
Kein lieber ich nie gewinn;
Hat mir mein junges Herz erfreut
Wenn ich an sie gedenke,
Verschwunden ist all mein Leid.

Sollt mich meins Buhln erwehren
Als oft ein Ander thut,
Sollt führ'n ein fröhlich's Leben,
Dazu ein'n leichten Mut?
Das kann und mag doch nicht gesein;
Gesegn' dich Gott im Herzen!
Es muß geschieden sein.

Note: modern German would change the following spellings "thut" -> "tut", "Wiewol" -> "Wiewohl", etc.

Note provided by Johann Winkler for von Sahr's setting, which uses the word "erwegen" in stanza 4 line 1 (see below): Grimm dedicates more than 4 columns to this word. It has two different meanings: 1st: to make a decision, 2nd: to forego something. It seems likely the text means the 2nd alternative: "Should I forego my beloved ... in order to lead a merry (because unbound) life? ... No, that must not be." The word "erwehren", found in at least three scores (Brahms Eben, Keller), doesn't make any sense and was probably written by someone who didn't understand the word "erwegen", which flourished -- according to Grimm -- in the 16th century and disappeared in the 18th.

Composition:

Johannes Brahms

Deutsche Volkslieder für gemischten Chor

Text Authorship:

from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Ach Gott, wie weh thut Scheiden!"

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 161

Ah God, how painful is parting

(Sung text translation for setting by J. Brahms)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Ah God, how painful is parting,
It has wounded my heart,
Therefore, I wander across the moors
And lament at all hours.
For far too many hours,
My heart secretly bears sorrows,
Though I often appear happy.

I built myself a little garden,
With violets and green clover,
Which, for me, froze too early,
Bringing grief to my heart.
For me, frozen in the sunshine,
Was an herb, honeysuckle,
A little flower, forget-me-not.

The little flower that I refer to
Is a noble one
Having the purest virtue,
Her tiny mouth is so tender,
Her little eyes are handsome and fine.
When I think about her,
How much I would love to be with her!

I believe with all my being
That when I am near her
She is an empress,
A dearer one I have never known.
She makes my young heart rejoice
When I think about her
All of my sorrow disappears.


If my love should resist me
As others often have,
Should I pursue a carefree life
Affecting a lighthearted attitude?
That cannot and must not be,
God bless your heart,
We must be parted.

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Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 by Michael P Rosewall, (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) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Ach Gott, wie weh thut Scheiden!"
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This text was added to the website: 2022-08-26
Line count: 28
Word count: 150