My good, dear woman | My good, dear woman

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Meine gute, liebe Frau

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Meine gute, liebe Frau,
Meine güt'ge Frau Geliebte,
Hielt bereit den Morgenimbiß,
Braunen Caffee, weiße Sahne.

Und sie schenkt ihn selber ein
Scherzend, kosend, lieblich lächelnd.
In der ganzen Christenheit
Lächelt wohl kein Mund so lieblich!

Ihrer Stimme Flötenton
Findet sich nur bei den Engeln,
Oder allenfalls hienieden
Bei den besten Nachtigallen.

Wie die Hände lilienweiß!
Wie das Haar sich träumend ringelt
Um das ros'ge Angesicht!
Ihre Schönheit ist vollkommen.

Heute nur bedünkt es mich, --
-- Weiß nicht warum -- ein bißchen schmäler
Dürfte ihre Taille sein,
Nur ein kleines bißchen schmäler.

Text Authorship:

by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), appears in Nachgelesene Gedichte 1828-1844 , no. 52 [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 Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Meine gute, liebe Frau", 1994-5, published c1998 [ tenor and piano ], from Ein Liederbuch nach Gedichten von Heinrich Heine, Abteilung II, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "My good, dear woman", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Thomas Seyboldt

This text was added to the website: 2008-04-04
Line count: 20
Word count: 90

My good, dear woman

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

My good, dear woman,
My gracious Madame Beloved,
Had made ready the morning repast,
Brown coffee, white cream.

And she pours it herself,
Dallying, caressing, smiling beautifully.
In all of Christendom
Likely no lips smile so beautifully!

The flute-like sounds of her voice
Are only to be found among the angels,
Or at all events down here [on earth]
[Only] among the best nightingales.

How her hands are lily-white!
How her hair curls dreamily
About her rosy face!
Her beauty is perfect.

 Only today it seems to me, --
-- I know not why -- that her waist could be
A bit more slender,
Just a little bit more slender.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2009 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), appears in Nachgelesene Gedichte 1828-1844 , no. 52
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-04-15
Line count: 20
Word count: 107