Serenade | I arrived under my darling’s window

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by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Ständchen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Ich kam vor Liebchens Fensterlein,
Tät viele Stunden stehen
Ob nicht im milden Abendschein
Die Liebe wär' zu sehen.

Was fühlt dies Herz?  So Lust als Weh,
Sie kömmt! o süßes Bangen!
Ich sah wohl zitternd in die Höh'-
Da kam der Mond gegangen.

Doch jetzt, doch jetzt, was fühlt dies Herz?
Gewiß! sie ist nicht ferne!
Ich sah wohl zitternd himmelwärts-
Da stunden tausend Sterne.

Dann drüben an dem Fensterlein
Sich mir ihr Bildnis zeigte;
Es war des Himmels Widerschein
Was sich herunterneigte.

Confirmed with Justinus Kerner Werke. Zweiter Teil. Gedichte, ed. Raimund Pissin, Berlin, Leipzig, Wien, Stuttgart: Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., 1914, page 103.

Text Authorship:

by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Ständchen", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte [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 Joseph Dessauer (1798 - 1876), "Ständchen" [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Serenade", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2008-05-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 84

Serenade

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I arrived under my darling’s window,
I stood there for many hours
To see if, in the gentle evening glow,
The dear one could be seen.

What does my heart feel?  Joy as well as pain,
Sie comes! oh sweet trepidation!
Tremblingly I looked upward --
There the moon appeared [instead].

But now, but now, what does my heart feel?
Truly! she is not far away!
Tremblingly I looked toward the heavens --
There were a thousand stars [instead].

The yonder at the little window
Her image appeared to me;
What leaned down [toward me]
Was a reflection of Heaven.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2015 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 Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Ständchen", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-01-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 98