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Du siehst mich an und kennst mich nicht, Du liebes Engelangesicht! Die Wünsche weißt Du nicht, die reinen, Die du so unbewußt erregt. Ich muß mich freu'n, und möchte weinen, So hast Du mir mein Herz bewegt. Kenn' ich dein Glück, Du kennst es nicht, Du liebes Engelangesicht! Welch schönes Los ist Dir beschieden! Wie eine Lilie auf dem Feld, So heiter und so still zufrieden Lebst du in deiner kleinen Welt. Mich treibt's im Leben hin und her, Als ob ich niemals glücklich wär', Kann keinen Frieden mir erjagen, Und keine Heiterkeit und Ruh'; Und hab' in meinen schönsten Tagen Nur einen Wunsch: lebt' ich wie Du!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), no title, written 1822, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in Liebesleben, in Frühlingslieder an Arlikona, no. 2 [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 Franz Aloys Theodor Commer (1813 - 1887), "Lied", op. 33 (Sechs Lieder) no. 4, published 1844 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Krigar [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Karl) Friedrich Curschmann (1805 - 1841), "Du siehst mich an", op. 13 (Sechs Lieder) no. 1 (1836), published 1836 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by August Glück (1852 - 1914), "Stille Genügsamkeit", op. 10 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1879 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig and Winterthur: J. Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
- by H Grimme , "Du siehst mich an und kennst mich nicht", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 1, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896), "Du siehst mich an", op. 5 no. 1, published 1845 [ tenor and vocal trio of three voices humming ], from 3 Ständchen für Tenor mit Begleitung von 4 Brummstimmen, no. 1, Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Kleinmichel (1846 - 1901), "Du siehst mich an und kennst mich nicht", op. 29 (Sechs Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Carl Franz) Edmund Kretschmer (1830 - 1908), "Du siehst mich an und kennst mich nicht ", op. 2 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, published 1857 [ voice and piano ], Dresden, Brauer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Möhring (1816 - 1887), "Du siehst mich an und kennst mich nicht ", op. 2 (Sechs Gesänge von Chamisso, Heine und Hoffmann von Fallersleben) no. 2, published 1838 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Crantz [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edward Faber Schneider (1872 - 1950), "Lied", op. 8 (Drei kleine Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Schneider , "Lebt ich wie du", published 1875 [ low voice and piano ], from Acht Lieder für 1 tiefe Stimme mit Pianoforte, no. 3, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Stern (1820 - 1883), "Du siehst mich an und kennst mich nicht", op. 6 (Sechs Lieder) no. 5, published 1840 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Trutschel, jun. , "Lebt' ich wie du!", op. 18 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, published 1859 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-06-07
Line count: 18
Word count: 108
You gaze at me and yet don’t know me, You dear face of an angel! You do not know the desires, so pure, That you unknowingly inspire. I must be happy, yet I want to weep, You have so unsettled my heart. Do I know your happiness – you don’t know it – You dear face of an angel! Such a beautiful lot has been cast for you! Like a lily in a field, So cheerful and so quietly contented You live within your tiny world. I race here and there through life, As if I might never again be happy, I can not seek after peace, Nor serenity nor rest; And, in my most beautiful days, I have but one wish: to live as you do!
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Du siehst mich an" = "You gaze at me"
"Du siehst mich an und kennst mich nicht" = "You gaze at me and yet you don't know me"
"Lebt ich wie du" = "To live as you do"
"Lied" = "Song"
"Stille Genügsamkeit" = "Quiet contentedness"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 by Michael P Rosewall, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), no title, written 1822, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in Liebesleben, in Frühlingslieder an Arlikona, no. 2
This text was added to the website: 2025-06-09
Line count: 18
Word count: 127