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Wozu noch, Mädchen, soll es frommen, Daß du vor mir Verstellung übst? Heiß froh das neue Glück willkommen Und sag es offen, daß du liebst! An deines Busens höherm Schwellen, Dem Wangenrot, das kommt und geht, Ward dein Geheimnis von den Quellen, Den Blumengeistern längst erspäht. Die Wogen murmelns in den Grotten, Es flüsterts leis der Abendwind, Wo du vorbeigehst, hörst dus spotten: Wir wissen es seit lange, Kind!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Adolf Friedrich von Schack, Gesammelte Werke, Vierter Band, Stuttgart: Verlag der J.G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, 1883, page 76.
Text Authorship:
- by Adolf Friedrich, Graf von Schack (1815 - 1894), no title, appears in Lotosblätter, in 4. Verwehte Blätter, no. 33 [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 Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "Wozu noch, Mädchen, soll es frommen", op. 19 (Sechs Lieder aus "Lotosblätter" von Aldolf Friedrich Graf von Schack) no. 1, published 1888 [ high voice and piano ], München, Aibl [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "De què t’hauria de servir encara, noia", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Waartoe nog, meisje, moet het dienen", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "What's the use, maiden", copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff) , "Say wherefore vainly . . .", first published 1897
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "À quoi te servent encore, jeune fille", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 69
What's the use, maiden, of this pretense you practice? Welcome your new joy gladly and say it openly - that you love! From the swelling of your bosom and the flush on your cheeks that comes and goes, your secret has, by fountains and flowerspirits, long been recognized; wavelets murmur it in the grottos, the evening breeze whispers it, and wherever you pass, you hear a teasing: "We've known it for a long time, child!"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust, (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.
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Adolf Friedrich, Graf von Schack (1815 - 1894), no title, appears in Lotosblätter, in 4. Verwehte Blätter, no. 33
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 74