by
Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850)
Ach wärst du mein, es wär' ein schönes...
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE
[Ach]1 wärst du mein, es wär' ein schönes Leben!
So aber ists Entsagen nur und Trauern,
[Und]2 ein verlornes Grollen und Bedauern;
Ich kann es meinem Schicksal nicht vergeben.
Undank tut wohl und jedes Leid der Erde;
Ja! meine [Freund']3 in Särgen, Leich' an Leiche,
Sind ein gelinder Gram, wenn ichs vergleiche
Dem Schmerz, daß ich dich nie besitzen werde.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• R. Strauss About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Strauss: "O"
2 Strauss: "Nur"
3 Strauss: "Freud' "
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Leopold Damrosch (1832 - 1885), "An *", op. 8 no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Fleischer (1896 - 1981), "Ach, wärst du mein", op. 71 (6 Lieder für mittlere Singstimme und Klavier) no. 2 (1930) [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Leonard Johann Heinrich) Albert Fuchs (1858 - 1910), "Ach wärst du mein, es wär' ein schön'res Leben", published 1879 [ mezzo-soprano or soprano or tenor and piano ], from Sechs Lieder für Mezzo-Sopran (oder Sopran oder Tenor) mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 5, Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adalbert von Goldschmidt (1848 - 1906), "Ach wärst du mein!", published 1893 [ voice and piano ], from Neue Lieder und Gesänge, no. 8, note: this may be the wrong text for this setting ; Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "O wärst du mein!", op. 26 (Zwei Lieder nach Nicolaus Lenau) no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "To *", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "A *", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-05-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 63
To *
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
[Ah]1 if you were mine, it would be a finer life,
But instead it is only renunciation and grief,
[And]2 wasted lament and regret.
I cannot forgive my fate.
Ingratitude is good, and all the sorrow on earth;
Yes, my [friends]3 in coffins, corpse upon corpse -
All these are small griefs when I compare them to
The agony that I will never possess you.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Strauss: "Ah"
2 Strauss: "only"
3 Strauss: "joys"
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:
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 67
