Liebesvertrauen | O geh', o geh', und nimmer sag'

Translation by Heinrich Julius Heintze (1811 - 1860)

Away! Away! O, do not say

Language: English

Away! away! O, do not say
  He can prove false to me: 
Let me believe but this brief day 
  In his fidelity;
Tell me, that rivers backward flow,
That unsunned snows like fire-brands glow,
  I may believe that lay,
But never can believe that he 
  Is false and fled away. 

Ill acted part! ill acted part! 
  I knew his noble mind,
He could not break a trusting heart,
  Nor leave his love behind;
Tell me yon sun will cease to rise,
Or stars at night to gem the skies,
  I may believe such lay;
But never can believe that he 
  Is false and fled away.

Can it be so? O, surely no! 
  Must I perforce believe
That he I loved and trusted so,
  Vowed only to deceive? 
Heap coals of fire on this lone head,
Or in pure pity strike me dead, --
  'Twere kindness on the day 
That tells me one I loved so well,
  Is false, -- is fled away!

Confirmed with The Poetical Works of William Motherwell: With Memoir by James M'Conechy, Esq, Glasgow, David Robertson, 1849, pages 189-190.

Text Authorship:

by William Motherwell (1797 - 1835), "Away! Away! O, do not say"

Go to the general single-text view

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2020-02-29
Line count: 27
Word count: 160

Liebesvertrauen

(Sung text for setting by H. Marschner)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch) after the English

O geh', o geh', und nimmer sag',
Daß er mir treulos sei!
Laß glauben mich den kurzen Tag
An meines Liebsten Treu!
Sag' mir, zur Quelle kehr' ein Fluß,
Der Schnee erglüh' wie'n Feuerguß,
Dies glaubt' ich eher schon;
Doch nimmer kann ich glauben, er
Sei treulos mir entfloh'n.

Er trieb' nur Scherz? er trieb' nur Scherz?
Ich kenne sein Gemüth!
Er bricht gewiß kein liebend Herz
Und läßt sein Lieb und flieht!
Sag' mir, die Sonn' geh' auf nicht mehr,
Nachts glänz' nicht mehr das Sternenheer,
Dies glaubt' ich eher schon;
Doch nimmer kann ich glauben, er
Sei treulos mir entfloh'n.

O, kann 's so sein? nein, wahrlich nein!
Muß glauben es mein Ohr,
Daß der vertraute Liebste mein
Nur mich zu trügen schwor?
Häuf' glüh'nde Kohlen auf mein Haupt,
Bis mir der Schmerz das Leben raubt -
Dies wär' ein Gotteslohn
Den Tag, der mir gesagt, mein Lieb
Sei treulos mir entfloh'n.

Composition:

Heinrich August Marschner

Caledon. 5 Lieder

Text Authorship:

by Heinrich Julius Heintze (1811 - 1860), "Liebesvertrauen"

Based on:

a text in English by William Motherwell (1797 - 1835), "Away! Away! O, do not say"
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2020-02-29
Line count: 27
Word count: 154