by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation by Mary Alexander (1806 - 1859)
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 text without footnotesConfirmed 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: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 74
What means the lonely tear? Matches base text
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Our translations: DUT
What means the lonely tear? Which dims my saddened gaze? A remnant, ‘tis the last, Of early, bygone days. ‘Tis one of many sisters, Who long ago were shed, O’er former joys and sorrows, In wind and darkness fled. Like vapoury clouds dissolving, Those azure stars are gone, Which one each joy and sorrows, Once on my eyelids shone. And even my love has melted Away in empty air, Then go, thou lonely teardrop, Go thou and and join it there.
Composition:
- Set to music by Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847), "What means the lonely tear?", 1834, from Three poems by Heinrich Heine in the translations of Mary Alexander, no. 3
Text Authorship:
- by Mary Alexander (1806 - 1859)
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
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Lau Kanen [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2017-06-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 81