Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
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
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Birg, o Veilchen, in deinem blauen Kelche, Birg die Tränen der Wehmut, bis mein Liebchen Diese Quelle besucht! Entpflückt sie lächelnd Dich dem Rasen, die Brust mit dir zu schmücken. O dann schmiege dich ihr ans Herz, und sag ihr, Daß die Tropfen in deinem blauen Kelche Aus der Seele des [treu'sten]1 Jünglings flossen, Der sein Leben verweinet, und den Tod wünscht.
1 Tomášek: "treuesten"
Authorship:
- by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giovanni Battista Zappi (1667 - 1719) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gottlob Bachmann (1763 - 1840), "An ein Veilchen", op. 33 no. 4 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Oden, beym Clavier zu singen, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "An ein Veilchen", op. 49 (Fünf Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 2 (1868), published 1868, first performed 1871 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johann Xaver Sterkel (1750 - 1817), "An ein Veilchen", op. 40 (Sechs Lieder mit Begleitung des Piano-Forte von Hölty) no. 5 [ voice and piano ], Augsburg, Gombart, No. 290 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "An ein Veilchen", op. 2 (6 Lieder) no. 6 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "A una violeta", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Aan een viooltje", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "To a violet", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 8
Word count: 62
Hide, o violet, in your blue calyx - Hide my melancholy tears, until my darling Visits this spring! If she smilingly picks You from the grass to adorn her bosom with you, Oh then nestle yourself to her heart, and tell her That those drops in your blue calyx Flowed from the soul of the truest youth, Who is weeping away his life and wishes for death.
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776)
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Giovanni Battista Zappi (1667 - 1719) [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 8
Word count: 68