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Ich denke Dein, in heil'ger Abendstille Erscheinest Du vor mir im Dämmerlicht; Gebrochen ist des Herzens fester Wille, Verlieren konnt' ich Dich! -- vergessen nicht. Ich denke Dein; -- doch hass' ich ihn noch immer, Der um mein schönstes Glück mich trog: Vergangenheit strahlt mir wie Rosenschimmer, Der vor der grausen Finsterniß entflog. Ich denke Dein seit jenem Schmerz-Momente, Als mir Dein Mund den letzten Kuß gebracht: Ich ahn'te nicht solch schauervolles Ende; An treuer Brust zu ruh'n hatt' ich gedacht. Ich denke Dein; -- nie kann ich von Dir lassen, Umschlinget Dich auch fremder Liebe Band: Des Dolches Griff würd' ich mit Wonne fassen, Käm er mir nur aus Emma's theurer Hand. Und fänd' ich drauf die süßen Trostesworte: "Ich hab' an Dich, o Freund, manchmahl sic gedacht!" -- Dann würd' ein Himmelsthor des Todes Pforte, Das freudig winkt aus meines Grabes Nacht. Dein denkend würd' ich in die Brust ihn senken, Den letzten Trost, den vielgeliebten Stahl; Und dankbar noch im Sterben Der gedenken, Die mich durch ihn befreit von jeder Qual.
J. Lang sets stanzas 1, 3, 2
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Fortuna. Taschenbuch des kais. kön. privil. Josephstädter Theaters für das Jahr 1824, von Franz Xaver Told, Wien: Gedruckt bey Leopold Grund, [1824], page 157-158.
Authorship:
- by Franz Xaver Told (1792 - 1849), "An Emma" [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- by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "An --", 1838, stanzas 1,3,2 [voice and piano], note: one manuscript has no title; unpublished [ sung text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2017-01-29
Line count: 24
Word count: 170
I think of you, in the holy stillness of evening You appear before me in the twilight; My heart’s firm resolve is broken, I was able to lose you! -- not to forget you. I think of you; -- but I still hate him Who by deception deprived me of my most beautiful joy; The past shines for me like a shimmer of roses That flew away before the horrible darkness. I think of you since that painful moment When your lips gave me the last kiss: I did not anticipate such a horrible ending; I had expected to rest upon a faithful bosom. I think of you; -- never can I relinquish you, Even if you were entwined in the bonds of another love: With joy would I grasp the handle of a dagger, If only it were given me by Emma’s dear hand. And if I found upon it the sweet words of comfort: "I have, oh friend, sometimes thought of you!" -- Then the gateway of death would become a gate to heaven, That beckons joyously from the darkness of my grave. Thinking of you, I would sink the dagger into my breast, The last comfort, the much-beloved blade; And in death yet, gratefully think of Her, Who through the dagger freed me from every agony.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesTranslated titles:
"An --" = "To --"
"An Emma" = "To Emma"
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2017 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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Franz Xaver Told (1792 - 1849), "An Emma"
This text was added to the website: 2017-01-29
Line count: 24
Word count: 215