A soft musical dialogue | Behind the curtain at the mirror before the bed

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by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Stiller Zwiegesang

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Er:
 Hinter dem Vorhang am Spiegel vorm Bett
 Steht meine Liebste und steckt sich die Haare,
 Steht meine Liebste und schmückt sich für mich.
 Komm doch, o komm doch, mein einziges Mädchen,
 Oder ich springe zu dir in die Kammer;
 Komm, o du Liebliche, laß mich nicht warten:
 Mit einem Sprunge bin ich im Fenster
 Hinter dem Vorhang am Spiegel vorm Bett.

Sie:
 Draußen im Winde am Baum hinterm Zaun
 Wartet mein Liebster mit klopfendem Herzen,
 Wartet mein Liebster mit Küssen auf mich.
 Wart noch ein Weilchen am Baum hinterm Zaune;
 Noch eine Rose ins Haar, eine rote,
 Will ich mir stecken, für dich eine Rose:
 Gleich dann, gleich komm ich und küß dich im Winde,
 Draußen im Winde am Baum hinterm Zaun.

Text Authorship:

by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910), "Stiller Zwiegesang", appears in Irrgarten der Liebe. Verliebte, launenhafte und moralische Lieder, Gedichte und Sprüche aus den Jahren 1885 bis 1900, in Lieder [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 Robert Kahn (1865 - 1951), "Stiller Zwiegesang", op. 43 (Neun Duette mit Klavierbegleitung) no. 9 (1905) [ duet for 2 voices with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Hans August Friedrich Zincke genannt Sommer (1837 - 1922), "Stiller Zwiegesang", op. 34 no. 5 (1895/1901), published 1901 [ voice and piano ], from Fünf Brettl‑Lieder, no. 5, Leipzig, C. F. Leede [sung text not yet checked]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Plàcid duet", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "A soft musical dialogue", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Duo secret", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-04-20
Line count: 18
Word count: 123

A soft musical dialogue

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

He:
 Behind the curtain at the mirror before the bed
 My dearest stands putting up her hair,
 My dearest stands prettying herself up for me.
 Come then, o come then, my only girl,
 Or I shall leap to join you in the chamber;
 Come, oh you lovely one, do not make me wait:
 With one bound I am in the window
 Behind the curtain at the mirror before the bed.

She:
 Out in the wind by the tree behind the fence
 My dearest waits for me with pounding heart,
 My dearest waits for me with kisses.
 Wait a while yet by the tree behind the fence;
 I want to place one more rose, a red one,
 Into my hair, for you a rose:
 Right away then, right away I shall come to you and kiss you in the wind,
 Out in the wind by the tree behind the fence.

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 Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910), "Stiller Zwiegesang", appears in Irrgarten der Liebe. Verliebte, launenhafte und moralische Lieder, Gedichte und Sprüche aus den Jahren 1885 bis 1900, in Lieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-02-03
Line count: 18
Word count: 149