Ach, [Elselein, liebes Elselein mein]1,
Wie gern wär' ich bei dir!
So [sind]2 zwei tiefe Wasser,
Wohl zwischen dir und mir.

Das bringt mir große Schmerzen,
Herzallerliebster Gesell;
Red ich von ganzem Herzen
[Halt's]3 für groß Ungefäll.

Hoff Zeit [werd]4 es wohl enden,
Hoff Glück [werd kummen]5 drein,
Sich in all's gut's verwenden,
Herzliebstes Elselein.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Deutsche Volkslieder mit ihren Original-Weisen, ed. by Andreas Kretzschmer, Berlin, Vereins-Buchhandlung, 1838, page 32. The second of three in an unnamed set. The first is here and the third is here.

¹ Senfl, Thiel: "Elslein, liebes Elselein"; Volkmann: "Elslein, liebes Elslein"
² Senfl: "fließen"; Thiel: "rinnen"
³ Senfl, Thiel: "Hab's"
⁴ Senfl, Thiel: "wird"
⁵ Thiel, Volksmann: "wird kommen"

Authorship

• from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , no title [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 (Karl Friedrich) Gustav Brah-Müller (1839 - 1878), "Ach Elslein, liebes Elslein", op. 38 (Zwei altdeutsche Lieder, für 1. Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1874 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
• by Otto Dorn (1848 - 1931), "Altdeutsches Liebeslied", op. 32 (Drei Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1890 [ medium voice and piano ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
• by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Herzliebstes Elselein", op. 49 (Sechs Lieder für gemischten Chor) no. 4, published 1879 [ mixed chorus ], Leipzig, Leuckart [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ludwig Senfl (c1490 - 1543), "Ach Elslein, liebes Elselein", 1534 [ SATB quartet a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Carl Thiel (1862 - 1939), "Elslein", published 1915? [ SATB chorus ], Leipzig: C.F. Peters [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Georg Vierling (1820 - 1901), "Ach Elslein!", op. 7 (Fünf Gedichte) no. 5, published 1851 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Friedrich Robert Volkmann (1815 - 1883), "Zwei Wasser", op. 67 no. 4 [ soprano, tenor, piano ], from Sechs Duette auf alt-deutsche Texte, no. 4, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-05-01
Line count: 12
Word count: 55

A Eilsín,  ’Eilsínín, a stór
Nárbh aoibhinn bheith led thaobh!
Ach gabhann uiscí doimhne
’Dir mé is tú, a chraobh.
 
Is arraing mhór im chroí é
A mhian is a bhean thar chách
Is deirimse le fír’nne
Gur ormsa tá an mí-ádh.
  
Lá eile é amárach
Is athróidh mo chinniúint
Beidh gach aon ní go hálainn
A Eilsínín, a rún.