O love, love as long as you can! | O love, love as long as you can!

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by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876)

Translation © by Thomas Ang

O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst

(Sung text for setting by F. Liszt)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FIN FRE JPN SPA

O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst!
O lieb, so lang du lieben magst!
Die Stunde kommt, die Stunde kommt,
Wo du an Gräbern stehst und klagst.

Und sorge, daß dein Herz glüht
Und Liebe hegt und Liebe trägt,
So lang ihm noch ein ander Herz
In Liebe warm entgegenschlägt.

Und wer dir seine Brust erschließt,
O tu ihm, was du kannst, zu lieb!
Und mach ihm jede Stunde froh,
Und mach ihm keine Stunde trüb.

Und hüte deine Zunge wohl,
Bald ist ein böses Wort gesagt!
O Gott, es war nicht bös gemeint, -
Der andre aber geht und klagt.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-4 of the original text.

Composition:

Franz (Ferenc) Liszt

Text Authorship:

by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876)

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Thomas Ang) , "O love, love as long as you can!", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
JPN Japanese (日本語) (Naoyuki Okada) , subtitle: "愛の夢", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Wilson Hidalgo) , "Ama todo el tiempo que puedas", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Richard Schindler , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 263

O love, love as long as you can!

(Sung text translation for setting by F. Liszt)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

O love, love as long as you can!
O love, love as long as you will!
The time will come, the time will come,
When you will stand grieving at the grave.

And let it be that your heart glows
And nurtures and carries love,
As long as another heart is still
Warmly bestruck by love for you!

And to one who spills his breast to you,
O to him, do what you can, in Love!
And make him happy for each moment,
And never let him be sad for one!

And guard your tongue tightly,
In case any slight escapes your mouth!
O God, it was not meant that way, -
But the other recoils, hurt and sighing.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-4 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2007 by Thomas Ang, (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) by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876)
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This text was added to the website: 2007-04-23
Line count: 40
Word count: 291