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Lüftchen, ihr plaudert so viel und so laut, Hab' euch [doch]1 nie [mein]2 Geheimnis vertraut! Nein! ach nein! ich [schweig ja]3 still, Weil [ich ja]4 ewig schweigen will! Küsst ihr mir bittend auch Hand und Gesicht, [Schmeichelnde]5 Lüftchen, ich [sag' es]6 euch nicht! Was ich wohl [mögte]7? Gern [zög]8 ich mit euch! Ruhte ein Weilchen im grünen [Gezweig]9, [Flöge dann weiter zum lieben]10 Ort, [Haucht ein kleines, ein einziges]11 Wort, Aber was heimlich im Herzen mir spricht, [Kosende]12 Lüftchen, [euch sag' ich es]13 nicht. Eilt ihr nun weiter und [lässt]14 mich allein? Stürmet nicht [wild gleich durch Feld und durch]15 Hain, [Hemmet noch einmal]16 den [zorn'gen]17 Lauf, [Höret ihr Schelme, doch horcht mir recht]18 auf! Hört, was ich denke, so süss, [ach!]19 so licht! Plaudernde Lüftchen, [noch sag' ich es]20 nicht.
J. Lang sets lines 1-4
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note: the published Lang score mentions Byron as the poet, but no candidate for the original has yet been found for this stanza, only for the second stanza of the song. The catalog Periodica musicalia mentions the setting by Georg Müller and attributes these lines to A. de M.; the Gollmick score gives the poet as A. d. M.
Note: Rungenhagen inserts "nein, nein" a number of times with his repetitions of the text of the last line of each stanza.
1 Abt, J. Müller: "noch"2 Abt, Gollmick, Lang: "ein"
3 Abt, Gollmick: "schweige ja"; Hermann: "schweige lieber"; Lang: "schweige"; J. Müller "schweig ja so"
4 Rungenhagen:"ich"
5 Hermann: "Plaudernde"
6 J. Müller: "sag's"
7 Abt, Gollmick, Hermann, Marschner, J. Müller: "möchte"
8 Gollmick: "möcht' "
9 Abt, J. Müller: "Gesträuch"
10 Abt: "Weiter dann zum lieblichen"; Gollmick: "Flöge weiter dann zum liebenden"; J. Müller "Flöge weiter dann zum lieblichen"; Rungenhagen: "Flöge hin zum lieben"
11 Abt, J. Müller "Hauchte ein kleines einzig's"; Gollmick, Marschner: "Hauchte ein kleines, ein einziges"; Hermann: "Haschte ein kleines, ein einziges"; Rungenhagen: "Haucht ein kleines, ein einzigs"
12 Marschner: "Schmeichelnde"
13 Abt, Hermann: "ich sag' es euch"; J. Müller: "ich sag's euch"
14 Abt, Gollmick, Hermann, Marschner, J. Müller: "lasst"
15 Abt, J. Müller: "weiter durch Felder und"; Marschner: "nicht wild gleich durch Flur und durch"
16 Abt: "Noch einmal"; Rungenhagen: "Hemmet doch"
17 Abt: "flüchtigen", Gollmick, Hermann, Marschner: "zornigen"
18 Abt: "Höret ihr Schelme, horcht recht"; Marschner: "Höret ihr Schelme! Doch horchet wohl"; Rungenhagen: "Hört ihr Schelm und horcht mir"
19 Abt, J. Müller, Rungenhagen: "und"
20 Abt: "ich sag' es euch"; Hermann: "ich sag's euch doch"; J. Müller: "ich sag's euch"
Authorship:
- possibly by Henriette Eleonore Agnes Gräfin zu Stolberg-Stolberg, née von Witzleben (1761 - 1788) ( A. de M. ? )  [author's text not yet checked 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 Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Ich sag' es euch nicht", op. 512 (Drei Solo-Quartette für vier Männerstimmen) no. 2, published 1878 [ ttbb quartet ], Wien: Spina; Hamburg: August Cranz [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Carl Gollmick (1796 - 1866), "Die plaudernden Lüftchen", published 1839 [ high voice and piano ], Mainz und Antwerpen, bei B. Schott's Söhnen [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hans Hermann (1870 - 1931), "Das Geheimniss", op. 30, published 1893 [ voice and piano ], Dresden, Wolff [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robert Julius Melcher (1806 - 1868), "Lüftchen, ihr plaudert ", op. 12 (5 Lieder für Sopran) no. 4, published 1836 [ soprano and piano ], Berlin, Fröhlich u. Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georg Müller , "Lüftchen, ihr plaudert" [sung text not yet checked]
- by J. G. Müller , "Lüftchen ihr plaudert", subtitle: "Soloquartett", op. 10 (Vier Gesänge für vier Singstimme) no. 1, published 1876 [ ttbb quartet a cappella ], Leipzig, Forberg [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Philipp Orth (1844 - 1903), "Mein Geheimnis", op. 198 [ men's chorus ], Mainz: Ebling [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Lied", op. 15 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 4, published 1848 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2006-12-05
Line count: 18
Word count: 131
Little breezes, you murmur so much and so loudly. [Yet I have never]1 entrusted you with [my]2 secret! No! ah no! I [remain]3 silent, Because I plan to remain silent forever! Though you may pleadingly kiss my hand and face, [Flattering]4 little breezes, I shall not tell you [my secret]!5 What would I like to do? I would gladly travel with you! I would rest a while in the green [branches]6, [Would then fly onward to the dear]7 place, Would breathe a tiny, a single word, But that which secretly speaks within my heart, Caressing little breezes, that I shall not tell you.5 Do you now hurry onward and leave me alone? Do not [immediately storm so wildly through field and through]8 grove, [Arrest once more]9 your angry motion, Listen, you imps, but hearken [well]10 to me! Listen to what I think, so sweet, [ah!]11 so bright! Caressing little breezes, that I shall not tell [you yet]12.5
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translated titles:
Die plaudernden Lüftchen = The chattering little breezes
Das Geheimniss = The secret
Lüftchen, ihr plaudert = Little breezes, you murmur
Lied = Song
1 J. Müller: "I have never yet
2 Lang: "a"
3 Hermann: "would rather remain"; J. Müller "remain so"
4 Hermann: "Chattering"
5 Rungenhagen inserts "no, no" a number of times with his repetitions of the text.
6 J. Müller: "shrubs"
7 J. Müller "Would then fly onward to the lovely"; Rungenhagen: "Would fly to the dear"
8 J. Müller: "storm onward through fields and"
9 Rungenhagen: "Only arrest"
10 omitted by Rungenhagen
11 J. Müller, Rungenhagen: "and"
12 Hermann: "you in any case"; J. Müller: "you"
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) possibly by Henriette Eleonore Agnes Gräfin zu Stolberg-Stolberg, née von Witzleben (1761 - 1788)
This text was added to the website: 2006-12-05
Line count: 18
Word count: 157