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Ah, Love, but a day, And the world has changed! The sun's away, And the bird estranged; The wind has dropped, And the sky's deranged; Summer has stopped. Look in my eyes! Wilt thou change too? Should I fear surprise? Shall I find aught new In the old and dear, In the good and true, With the changing year? Thou art a man, But I am thy love. For the lake, its swan; For the dell, its dove; And for thee — (oh, haste!) Me, to bend above, Me, to hold embraced.
A. Beach sets stanzas 1-2
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), no title, appears in James Lee's Wife [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867 - 1944), "Ah, Love, but a day", op. 44 (Three Browning Songs) no. 2, published c1900, stanzas 1-2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hallet Gilberté (1872 - 1946), "Ah, Love, but a day" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julian Pascal , "Ah, love, but a day", published 1900 [ medium voice and piano ], Boston, Oliver Ditson [sung text not yet checked]
- by Clara Kathleen Rogers (1844 - 1931), "Ah Love, but a day", op. 27 no. 4, published 1893 [ voice and piano ], from Browning songs (First Series), no. 4, Boston : Arthur P. Schmidt and Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Clara Kathleen Rogers (1844 - 1931), "Ah, love, but a day", op. 28 (Three Songs) no. 2, published 1893 [ voice and piano ], Boston : Arthur P. Schmidt and Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "James Lee's wife speaks at the window", 1906, published 1907 [ mezzo-soprano and orchestra or piano ], from James Lee's Wife, no. 1, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Sharon Krebs) , "Ach, Geliebter, nur ein Tag", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Denise Ritter Bernardini) , "Ah, l'amore, ma un giorno", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 92
Ach, Geliebter, nur ein Tag [verging] Und die Welt hat sich verändert! Die Sonne ist fort, Der Vogel ist fremd; Der Wind kam herab, Und der Himmel ist verwirrt; Der Sommer ist hin. Blicke mir in die Augen! Wirst du dich auch verändern? Sollte ich mich vor einer Überraschung fürchten? Sollte ich in der wechselnden Jahreszeit Irgend etwas Neues finden Im Alten und Vertrauten, Im Guten und Wahren? Du bist ein Mann, Aber ich bin deine Geliebte. Der See hat seinen Schwan, Das Tal seine Taube; Und für dich -- (o eile!) Gibt’s mich, dass du dich über mich neigst, Mich, dass du mich umarmt hältst.
Translator's note for line 1: Weil Amy Beach nur die ersten zwei Strophen vertont hat, ist es nicht eindeutig, ob ihr Lied an eine Geliebte oder einen Geliebten gerichtet ist. Es steht Benützern dieser Übersetzung frei, entweder "Geliebte" oder "Geliebter" zu wählen.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2014 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 English by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), no title, appears in James Lee's Wife
This text was added to the website: 2014-09-17
Line count: 21
Word count: 105