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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850)
Translation © by Lau Kanen

Ach wärst du mein, es wär' ein schönes...
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE
[Ach]1 wärst du mein, es wär' ein schönes Leben!
So aber ists Entsagen nur und Trauern,
[Und]2 ein verlornes Grollen und Bedauern;
Ich kann es meinem Schicksal nicht vergeben.

Undank tut wohl und jedes Leid der Erde;
Ja! meine [Freund']3 in Särgen, Leich' an Leiche,
Sind ein gelinder Gram, wenn ichs vergleiche
Dem Schmerz, daß ich dich nie besitzen werde.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Strauss 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Strauss: "O"
2 Strauss: "Nur"
3 Strauss: "Freud' "

Text Authorship:

  • by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "An *", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Liebesklänge [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 Leopold Damrosch (1832 - 1885), "An *", op. 8 no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hans Fleischer (1896 - 1981), "Ach, wärst du mein", op. 71 (6 Lieder für mittlere Singstimme und Klavier) no. 2 (1930) [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by (Leonard Johann Heinrich) Albert Fuchs (1858 - 1910), "Ach wärst du mein, es wär' ein schön'res Leben", published 1879 [ mezzo-soprano or soprano or tenor and piano ], from Sechs Lieder für Mezzo-Sopran (oder Sopran oder Tenor) mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 5, Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Adalbert von Goldschmidt (1848 - 1906), "Ach wärst du mein!", published 1893 [ voice and piano ], from Neue Lieder und Gesänge, no. 8, note: this may be the wrong text for this setting ; Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "O wärst du mein!", op. 26 (Zwei Lieder nach Nicolaus Lenau) no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "To *", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "A *", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2004-05-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 63

Ach, was ‘k bij jou, hoe mooi was dan...
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Ach1, was ‘k bij jou, hoe mooi was dan het leven!
Nu echter is ’t ontberen slechts en treuren,
[En een]2 wanhopig wrokken en betreuren;
Ik kan het echt mijn noodlot niet vergeven.

Ondank is goed, en ieder leed schept orde;
Ja, vriend na vriend begraven - steeds maar lijken -
Is niet zo’n groot verdriet, te vergelijken
Met ’t leed, dat jij toch nooit mijn vrouw zult worden.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Translations of title(s):
"Ach wärst du mein, es wär' ein schön'res Leben" = "Ach, was ‘k bij jou, hoe mooi was dan het leven!"
"Ach wärst du mein!" = "Ach, was ‘k bij jou!"
"An *" = "Aan *"
"O wärst du mein!" = "O, was ‘k bij jou!"

1 Strauss: "O"
2 Strauss: "Alleen"

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2019 by Lau Kanen, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.

    Lau Kanen.  Contact: boudewijnkanen (AT) gmail (DOT) com


    If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to: licenses@email.lieder.example.net


Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "An *", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Liebesklänge
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2019-02-24
Line count: 8
Word count: 70

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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