If I knew for certain that my beloved would hear it | If I knew for certain that my beloved would hear it

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by Paul Heyse (1830 - 1914)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wüßt' ich gewiß, daß es mein Liebster...

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Italian (Italiano)

Our translations: ENG

Wüßt' ich gewiß, daß es mein Liebster hörte,
Mit lauter Stimme fing' ich an zu singen.
Zu viele Berg' und Thäler sind dazwischen,
Und meine Stimme kann [nicht zu ihm]¹ dringen.
Ach, dränge zu ihm hin mein lauter Schmerz,
Zufrieden gäbe sich dies arme Herz!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• H. Goetz

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Paul Heyse, Italienisches Liederbuch, Berlin: Verlag von Wilhelm Hertz (Bessersche Buchhandlung), 1860, page 44.

¹ Goetz: "zu ihm nicht"

Text Authorship:

by Paul Heyse (1830 - 1914), no title, appears in Italienisches Liederbuch, in Rispetti, in Toscanisch, no. 93, first published 1860 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Italian (Italiano) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) [text unavailable]
- 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 Richard Barth (1850 - 1923), "Wüsst' ich gewiss, dass mein Liebster hörte", op. 12 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1893 [ voice and piano ], Frankfurt a/M., Steyl & Thomas [sung text not yet checked]
by Hermann (Gustav) Goetz (1840 - 1876), "Wüßt' ich gewiß, daß es mein Liebster hörte", op. 4 no. 1 (1866), published 1869 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Rispetti: Sechs Italienische Volksgesänge, no. 1, Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "If I knew for certain that my beloved would hear it", copyright © 2020, (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: 2010-01-28
Line count: 6
Word count: 46

If I knew for certain that my beloved would hear it

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

If I knew for certain that my beloved would hear it,
I would start singing in a loud voice.
Too many mountains and valleys are between us,
And my voice cannot reach all the way to him.
Ah, if my deep pain could but reach him,
Then this poor heart of mine would be content!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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 Paul Heyse (1830 - 1914), no title, appears in Italienisches Liederbuch, in Rispetti, in Toscanisch, no. 93, first published 1860
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Italian (Italiano) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2020-12-11
Line count: 6
Word count: 55