The slender water lily

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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Die schlanke Wasserlilie

(Sung text for setting by H. Pfitzner)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT CAT ENG ENG FRE ITA

  Die schlanke Wasserlilie
Schaut träumend empor aus dem See;
Da grüßt der Mond herunter
Mit lichtem Liebesweh.

  Verschämt senkt sie ihr Köpfchen
Wieder zurück zu den Welln --
Da sieht sie zu ihren Füßen
Den armen  ...  Geselln.

Confirmed with: Heinrich Heine’s sämtliche Werke in vier Bänden, herausgegeben von Otto F. Lachmann, Erster Band, Leipzig: Druck und Verlag von Philipp Reclam jun, [1887], page 244

Composition:

Hans Erich Pfitzner

Text Authorship:

by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Neue Gedichte, in Neuer Frühling, no. 15

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "L'esvelt nenúfar", copyright © 2013, (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
ENG English (Lawrence Snyder) , "The slender waterlily", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Quand l'élégante fleur de nénuphar", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Lo snello giglio d'acqua", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 41

The slender water lily

(Sung text translation for setting by H. Pfitzner)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The slender water lily
Gazes dreamily up from the lake;
The moon sends down greetings
With bright pain of love.

Embarrassed, she again lowers her head
Back down to the waves --
There, at her feet, she sees
The poor  ...  fellow.

Translations of title(s):
"Mond und Lilie" = "Moon and lily"
"Wasserlilie" = "Water lily"
"Die Lilie" = "The lily"
"Die schlanke Wasserlilie" = "The slender water lily"
"Die Wasserlilie (Die schöne Wasserlilie)" = "The water lily (The lovely water lily)"
"Frühlingslied" = "Spring song"
"Wasserlilie und Mond" = "Water lily and moon"
"Lied" = "Song"
"Die Wasserlilie" = "The water lily"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by Sharon Krebs, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Neue Gedichte, in Neuer Frühling, no. 15
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This text was added to the website: 2018-04-16
Line count: 8
Word count: 42