First loss | Ah, who will bring back those beautiful days

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Erster Verlust

(Sung text for setting by A. Berg)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA NOR

Ach wer bringt die schönen Tage,
Jene Tage der ersten Liebe,
Ach wer bringt nur eine Stunde
Jener holden Zeit zurück!

Einsam nähr' ich meine Wunde
Und mit stets erneuter Klage
Traur' ich um's verlorne Glück.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2 of the original text.

First written 1785 by Goethe for his fragmentary Singspiel "Die ungleichen Hausgenossen" (Arie der Baronesse, Act II), with different stanzas 2 and 3.

Composition:

Alban Maria Johannes Berg

Jugendlieder, Vol. II (1904-08)

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Erster Verlust", first published 1789

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "First loss", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Premier manque", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Ah, chi mi riporterà i giorni belli", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , "Det første tap", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Richard Morris , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Peter Rastl [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 9
Word count: 48

First loss

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Berg)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Ah, who will bring back those beautiful days -
those days of first love?
Ah, who will bring back even just one hour
of that lovely time?

Lonely, I nourish my wound
and with constantly renewed laments,
I mourn my lost happiness.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Erster Verlust", first published 1789
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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 9
Word count: 52