To the most graceful one

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by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Der Holdseligen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT DUT ENG ENG FRE

  Der Holdseligen 
    Sonder Wank
  Sing' ich fröhlichen 
    Minnesang;
  Denn die [Reine]¹, 
  Die ich meine,
Winkt mir lieblichen Habedank.
 
  Ach! bin inniglich 
    Minnewund!
  Gar zu minniglich 
    [Dankt]² ihr Mund;
  Lacht so grüsslich, 
  Lockt so küsslich,
Daß mir's bebt in des Herzens Grund!
 
  Gleich der sonnigen 
    Veilchenau'
  Glänzt der Wonnigen 
    Augen Blau;
  Frisch und ründchen 
  Blüht ihr Mündchen,
Gleich der knospenden Ros' im Thau.
 
  Ihrer Wängelein 
    Lichtes Roth
  Hat kein Engelein, 
    [So mir]³ Gott !
  Eia, säß' ich 
  Unablässig
Bei der Preißlichen bis zum Tod!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Brahms • C. Loewe • K. Reissiger

C. Loewe sets stanzas 1, 3, 2, 4, 1

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Sämmtliche poetische Werke von Johann Heinrich Voss, ed. by Abraham Voss, Leipzig, Immanuel Müller, 1835, page 153.

¹ Reissiger: "Eine"
² Brahms: "küsst"
³ Reissiger: "Hat nur"

Text Authorship:

by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826), "Minnelied", written 1773, appears in Oden und 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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Minnelied", op. 44 (Zwölf Lieder und Romanzen für Frauenchor a capella oder mit willk. Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1 (1860), published 1867 [ ssaa chorus and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 2 times]
by Michael Frey (1787 - 1832), "Ständchen", published 1824 [ voice and piano ], in Charis. Rheinische Morgenzeitung für gebildete Leser, Mannheim, Nr. 20 (16. Februar) [sung text not yet checked]
by Moritz Hauptmann (1792 - 1868), "Der Holdseligen sonder Wank", op. 1 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 4, published 1844 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Peters (Neue Auflage) [sung text not yet checked]
by (Isador) George Henschel (1850 - 1934), "Der Holdseligen sonder Wank", op. 24 no. 4, published 1875 [ voice and piano ], from Thüringer Waldblumen (II. Folge): Lieder im Volkston mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, no. 4, Leipzig, Breitkopf [sung text not yet checked]
by Peter Joseph Lindpaintner (1791 - 1856), "Minnelied", published c1815 [ voice and guitar or piano ], from Zwölf Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Minnelied", op. 9, Heft 5 no. 1 (1819), stanzas 1,3,2,4,1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 2 times]
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Minnelied", published 1798 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder der Liebe und der Einsamkeit zur Harfe und zum Clavier zu singen, no. 29, Leipzig, bei Gerhard Fleischer dem Jüngeren [sung text not yet checked]
by Karl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798 - 1859), "Minnelied", op. 73 no. 4 [ TTBB chorus ], from Gesellschaftslieder, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (1747 - 1800), "Minnelied", published 1790 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Heinrich August Rottmann, Königlichem Hofbuchhändler [sung text not yet checked]
by C. Sieke , "Minnelied", published 1875 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 1, Berlin, Simrock ; also set in Russian [sung text not yet checked]
by Anton Urspruch (1850 - 1907), "Minnelied", op. 15 (Sechs Gesänge für S., A., T. und B.) no. 6, published 1882 [ SATB chorus ], Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Maria (Friedrich Ernst) von Weber (1786 - 1826), "Minnelied", op. 30 (Sechs deutsche Gesänge für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 4 (1813), published [1813] [ voice and piano ], Mannheim, bey Jos. Abelshauser [sung text not yet checked]

Set in a modified version by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg.

Go to the text. [ view differences ] ENG

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Corien Sleeswijk) , copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , John H. Campbell , Lau Kanen [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 87

To the most graceful one

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

To the most graceful one 
without doubt 
I sing a cheerful 
love song,
since the pure woman 
I love
waves and bids me a charming "Have thanks."

Alas, my heart is sick 
with love!
She inspires my love 
with her words of thanks!
She greets me with her smiles, 
attracts me with kisses,
so that I am thrilled with joy from the bottom of my heart.

As bright as the violets 
on a sunlit meadow
is the blue sparkling 
out of my delight's eyes.
Her little mouth 
blooms fresh and round
like an unfolding rosebud wet with dew.

Her cheeks are of 
a rosy hue
not even an angel has, 
Heaven knows!
If only I 
could keep sitting
next to the praised one until I die.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Minnelied" = "Love song"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826), "Minnelied", written 1773, appears in Oden und Lieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2006-03-20
Line count: 28
Word count: 126