Song | O, beloved one, let us hurry

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by Martin Opitz (1597 - 1639)

Translation © by Elisabeth Siekhaus

Ach, Liebste, lass uns eilen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Ach, Liebste, lass uns eilen,
Wir haben Zeit:
Es schadet das Verweilen
Uns beiderseit.

Der edlen Schönheit Gaben
Fliehn Fuss für Fuss,
Dass alles, was wir haben,
Verschwinden muss.

Der Wangen Zier verbleichet,
Das Haar wird greis,
Der Äuglein Feuer weichet,
Die Brust wird Eis.

Das Mündlein von Korallen
Wird ungestalt,
Die Hand als Schnee verfallen,
Und du wirst alt.

Drum lass uns jetzt geniessen
Der Jugend Frucht,
Eh denn wir folgen müssen
Der Jahre Flucht.

Wo du dich selber liebest,
So liebe mich,
Gib mir, dass, wann du gibest,
Verlier auch ich.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Martin Opitz (1597 - 1639), "Lied" [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 Friedrich Adrian Götzloff (d. 1836), "Eile zum Lieben", c1806 [sung text not yet checked]
by Franz Krause (b. 1889), "Eile zum Lieben", op. 51 no. 6, published 1972?, from Gedichte aus alter Zeit, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
by Johann (or Giovanni) Nauwach (flourished 1623-1627), "Lied", 1627 [ voice and harpsichord ], confirmed with a concert programme booklet [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Elisabeth Siekhaus) , "Song", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Elisabeth Siekhaus

This text was added to the website: 2008-04-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 93

Song

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

O, beloved one, let us hurry,
Time passes us,
Delay will do harm
To both of us.

The precious gifts of beauty
Flee step by step,
And everything we have
Must pass away.

Your splendid cheeks pale,
Your hair becomes gray,
The fire of your eyes fades,
Your passion becomes ice.

Your little coral mouth
loses its shape,
Your hands, like snow, dissolve,
And you become old.

So let us now enjoy
The fruit of youth,
Before we must follow
The flight of years.

If you love yourself,
Then love me.
Give to me, so that when you give,
I lose too.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 by Elisabeth Siekhaus, (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 Martin Opitz (1597 - 1639), "Lied"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2008-04-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 102