Wenn du [die kleine Hand]1 mir gibst,
Die so viel Ungesagtes sagt,
Hab ich dich jemals dann gefragt,
Ob du mich liebst?

Ich will ja nicht, daß du mich liebst,
Will nur, daß ich dich nahe weiß
Und daß du manchmal stumm und leis
Die Hand mir gibst.

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Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, page 73.

¹ Lindauer-Cattaneo: "deine kleine Hand"; J. Marx, Schütz: "die Hand"; Schick: "die liebe Hand"

Authorship:

• by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Bitte", written 1901 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Lydia Barblan-Opienska (1890 - ?), "Bitte", c1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Oskar Baumann , "Bitte", op. 310 (Hermann Hesse-Lieder, 3. Folge) no. 5 (1947) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Laci Boldemann (1921 - 1969), "Bitte", op. 9 no. 3, published 1951 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Frédéric Decrauzat , "Bitte", 1945 [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Peter Escher (1915 - 2008), "Bitte", op. 15 no. 20 (1945) [ voice and piano ], from Fünf Lieder nach Hermann Hesse, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Rudolph Ganz (1877 - 1972), "Bitte", op. 17 (Lieder und Gesänge) no. 1, published 1908 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Wilhelm Grosz (1894 - 1939), as Hugh Williams, "Bitte", op. 8 no. 1 (1918-9) [ high voice and orchestra ], from Zwei Orchesterlieder für hohe Stimme, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Erwin Hauff (1894 - 1960), "Bitte" [ voice, viola, and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Christian Heimerl , "Bitte", <<1986 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Willy Hess (1906 - 1997), "Bitte", op. 14 no. 1 (1939), published 1939 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Liebeslieder nach Gedichten von Theodor Storm, Hermann Hesse, und Manfred Kyber, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Horst Joachim Japtok , "Bitte" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Erich Jeromin , "Bitte" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Otto Jochum (1898 - 1969), "Wenn du die kleine Hand mir gibst", op. 139 no. 5 (<<1953) [ low voice and oboe with speaker ad libitum ], from Stufen der Einsamkeit, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Karl Jürgens , "Bitte" [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Hermann Hesse, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Werner Kuck (1891 - ?), "Bitte ", op. 45 no. 21 [ voice and piano ], from Sieben Gedichte von Hermann Hesse, no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Lindauer-Cattaneo (1889 - ?), "Bitte", published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Joseph Marx (1882 - 1964), "Bitte", 1907, published 1911 [ medium voice and piano ], in Lieder und Gesänge, II. Folge, Nr.1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Richard Maux (1893 - 1971), "Bitte", op. 225 (1931), published 1935 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Viktor Merz (1891 - ?), "Bitte ", published 1921 [ voice and piano ], from Sieben Lieder, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Friedrich Niggli (1875 - 1959), "Bitte", op. 15 (Vier Lieder von Hermann Hesse) no. 2, published 1922? [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Annie van Ommeren (b. 1914), "Bitte ", published 1964 [ voice and piano ], from Zeven Liederen op teksten van Hermann Hesse, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Casimir von Pászthory (1886 - 1966), "Bitte", 1936 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Eduard Pütz , "Bitte ", 1951 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Texten von Hermann Hesse, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Kari Rydman (b. 1936), "Bitte", published <<1957, from Zwei Lieder (Hermann Hesse), no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Philippine Schick (1893 - 1970), "Bitte", op. 29 no. 3 (1936), published 1937, first performed 1937 [ soprano and piano ], from Vom Frieden der Liebe, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Josy (Joseph) Schlageter (1883 - 1919), "Bitte ", published 1920 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Christian Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "Bitte ", 1980 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Gerhard Schumann (b. 1914), "Bitte ", 1955 [ four-part mixed chorus a cappella ], from Lieder der Liebe, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Ludwig Schütz (b. 1885), "Bitte ", published 1923 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Helmut Schwarz , "Bitte ", 1945 [ voice and piano ], from Hermann Hesse Lieder, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Bruno Seidler-Winkler (1880 - 1960), "Bitte", published 1922, also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Herbert Thienemann (1884 - 1963), "Bitte ", published 1928 [ voice and guitar or lute ], from Lieder der Sehnsucht - Lieder zur Gitarre (Laute), no. 18 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Heinz Zabel , "Bitte", <<1947 [ alto, violin, viola, and violoncello ], from Vier Liebeslieder für Alt, Violine, Viola und Violoncello, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Xaver Zintl (1903 - 1987), "Bitte ", 1949 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in English, a translation by Edward Agate (1880 - 1940) , "Request" ; composed by Bruno Seidler-Winkler.
  • Go to the text.
    

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

• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Request", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "S'il te plaît", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Gianni Franceschi) , "Richiesta", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-02
Line count: 8
Word count: 48

When in my own thy hand I press,
Treasure that speaks when lips are lost,
Have I desired that thou confess,
Love holds thee fast?

'Tis not thy love for which I pine,
If thou thy presence but reveal,
And I in silence gently feel
Thy hand in mine.