by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation by James Thomson (1834 - 1882)

Die Lotosblume ängstigt
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA POR SPA
Die Lotosblume ängstigt
Sich vor der Sonne Pracht
Und mit gesenktem Haupte
Erwartet sie träumend die Nacht.

Der Mond, [der]1 ist ihr Buhle
Er weckt sie mit seinem Licht,
Und ihm entschleiert sie freundlich
Ihr [frommes]2 Blumengesicht,

Sie blüht und glüht und leuchtet
Und starret stumm in die Höh';
Sie duftet und weinet und zittert
Vor Liebe und Liebesweh.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Heinrich Heine, Buch der Lieder, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg, 1827, page 119.

1 Loewe: "das"
2 Franz: "holdes"

Text Authorship:

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Marta Garcia Cadena) , "La flor de lotus", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De lotusbloem is angstig", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Lawrence Snyder) , no title, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emma Lazarus) , "Lotus blossom", appears in Poems and translations, first published 1867
  • FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Valter Juva) , Yrjö Weilin, Helsinki., first published 1905
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La fleur de lotus", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Charles Beltjens) , no title, appears in Intermezzo lyrique, no. 10, first published 1827
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "Die Lotosblume" [an adaptation]
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Il fiore di loto", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • POR Portuguese (Português) (Margarida Moreno) , "A flor de lótus", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Lawrence Snyder , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 61

Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
The Lotus-flower doth languish
  Beneath the sun's warm light;
With drooping head she waiteth
  All dreamily for night.

The Moon is her true lover,
  He wakes her with his glance:
To him she unveils gladly
  Her gentle countenance.

She blooms and glows and brightens,
  Intent on him above,
Exhaling, weeping, trembling,
  With ever-yearning love.

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Text Authorship:

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Researcher for this page: T. P. (Peter) Perrin

This text was added to the website: 2006-04-05
Line count: 12
Word count: 55