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Aber Epheu nenn' ich jene Mädchen mit den sanften Worten, mit dem Haar, dem schlichten, hellen um den leis' gewölbten Brau'n, mit den braunen seelenvollen Rehenaugen, die in Tränen steh'n so oft, in ihren Tränen gerade sind unwiderstehlich; ohne Kraft und Selbstgefühl, schmucklos mit verborg'ner Blüte, doch mit unerschöpflich tiefer treuer inniger Empfindung können sie mit eigner Triebkraft nie sich heben aus den Wurzeln, sind geboren, sich zu ranken liebend um ein ander Leben: an der ersten Lieb'umrankung hängt ihr ganzes Lebensschicksal, denn sie zählen zu den seltnen Blumen, die nur einmal blühen.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "Epheu", op. 22 no. 3 (1888), published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Mädchenblumen, no. 3, Berlin, Fürstner [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "L'heura", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Klimop", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Ivy", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Heide Wiesner) , "Lierre", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Lierre", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Enrico Magnani) , "Edera", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- JPN Japanese (日本語) (Naoyuki Okada) , "ツタの花", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 93
But ivy is what I call that maiden with soft words, with the simple, bright hair, gently waving brown about her, with brown, soulful doe's eyes, who so often stands in tears, in her tears simply irresistible; without strength and self-consciousness, unadorned with secret blossoms, yet with an inexhaustible, deep true inner sentience that under her own power she can never yank herself up by the roots; such are born to twine lovingly about another life: upon her first love she rests her entire life's fate, for she is counted among those rare flowers, those that only blossom once.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust, (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.
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Felix Ludwig Julius Dahn (1834 - 1912)
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 99