Spring | Crowned with wreaths are the girls' fair bosoms

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by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Nun liegen Kränze um die schönen Brüste

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्)

Our translations: ENG

Nun liegen Kränze um die schönen Brüste
Der Mädchen, Feucht von der Essenz der Sandel,
Und Betel hauchen ihre [Lippen, und]¹
Um ihre Hüften funkeln Gürtelbänder, -
So schreiten furchtlos sie dem Liebesgott,
Der [lang ersehnten]² Seligkeit, entgegen.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• A. Zemlinsky

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Zemlinsky: "Lippen."
² Zemlinsky: "langersehnten"

Text Authorship:

by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946), "Frühling III", appears in Der indische Harfe, first published 1920 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्) by Kalidasa (flourished 5th century), "वसन्त-वर्णना", appears in ऋतुसंहार-काव्यम्
- Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942), "Frühling", op. 27 (Twelve songs: for soprano and piano) no. 3 (1937/8), published c1978 [ soprano and piano ], Hillsdale, N.Y. : Mobart Music Publications, also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "Spring", copyright © 2008, (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: 6
Word count: 39

Spring

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Crowned with wreaths are the girls' fair bosoms,
gleaming with sandalwood oil,
and their lips breathe betel.
Sashes sparkle round their hips --
thus, without fear they walk toward the god of love
and longed-for bliss.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 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 Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946), "Frühling III", appears in Der indische Harfe, first published 1920
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्) by Kalidasa (flourished 5th century), "वसन्त-वर्णना", appears in ऋतुसंहार-काव्यम्
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2008-04-17
Line count: 6
Word count: 35