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Ich [wollte]1 dir so gerne sagen, Wie lieb du mir im Herzen bist; Nun aber weiß ich nichts zu sagen, Als daß es ganz unmöglich ist. Ich möchte alle Tage singen, Wie lieb du mir im Herzen bist; Doch wird es niemals mir gelingen, Weil es so ganz unmöglich ist. Und weil es nicht ist auszusagen, Weil's Lieben ganz unendlich ist, So magst du meine Augen fragen, Wie lieb du mir im Herzen bist. Darinnen wird geschrieben stehen, Wie lieb du mir im Herzen bist; Und drinnen wirst du deutlich sehen, Was jedem Wort unmöglich ist.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Als der Großvater die Großmutter nahm. Ein Liederbuch für altmodische Leute, Dritte, vermehrte und verbesserte Auflage, Leipzig: Verlag von Fr. Wilh. Grunow, 1895, page 470.
1 Girschner: "möchte"Text Authorship:
- by Gottfried Wilhelm Fink (1783 - 1846), "Ich wollte dir so gerne sagen", written 1813 [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 Heinrich (Ludwig Egmont) Dorn (1804 - 1892), "Vergebliche Wünsche", op. 63 (Vier deutsche Lieder) no. 3, published 1850 [ voice and piano ], Musikalische Stammbuch-Blätter. 3tes Heft; Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Friedrich Johann Girschner (1794 - 1860), "Das Geheimnis", op. 27 (Sechs Gesänge und Lieder für Mezzo-Sopran, Alt oder Bariton ) no. 1, published 1839 [ mezzo-soprano, alto, or baritone and piano ], Cöln, Eck und Co. [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Anton Morgenroth (1780 - 1847), "An Sie", op. 2 (6 Gedichte von Fink für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1873 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), adapted by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880) [an adaptation] and sometimes misattributed to Johann Paul Friedrich Richter (1763 - 1825); composed by Josephine Lang.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-08-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 97
I would so gladly like to tell you How dear you are to me in my heart, But now I have nothing to say, Except that [saying] it is utterly impossible. Every day I would like to sing it How dear you are to me in my heart, Yet I shall never manage to express it, Because [expressing] it is so utterly impossible. And since it can never be expressed in words, Because [my] loving is utterly infinite, Then you may ask my eyes How dear you are to me in my heart. Therein it shall be written How dear you are to me in my heart; And therein you shall clearly see What is impossible for any word [to express].
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Das Geheimnis" = "The secret"
"Ich wollte dir so gerne sagen" = "I would so gladly like to tell you"
"Vergebliche Wünsche" = "Vain wishes"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2021 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 Gottfried Wilhelm Fink (1783 - 1846), "Ich wollte dir so gerne sagen", written 1813
This text was added to the website: 2021-08-06
Line count: 16
Word count: 121