Last will | If I knew, my little bell

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by Siegfried Kapper (1821 - 1879)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Letzter Wille

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Slovak (Slovenčina)

Our translations: ENG

  Wüßt' ich, mein Glöcklein,
Wann es wird läuten,
Ließ' ich ein Bettlein
Golden bereiten.

  Bettlein gelbgolden,
Decklein kristallen, --
Mir und der Holden
Sollt' es gefallen!

  Drüber zwei Kränze
Zusammengewunden, --
Weil wir durch Liebe
Beide verbunden.

  Über den Kränzen
Zwei wächserne Kerzen, --
Daß sie erleuchten
Unsere Herzen.

  In beiden Kränzen
Zwei Tulpen, weißhelle, --
Weil sie noch Jungfrau,
Ich Junggeselle.

  An jeder Tulpe
Zwei weiße Nelken, --
Weil unsre Herzen
So rein verwelken.

  Und an den Nelken
Bänder grün, --
Weil wir so jung schon
Welkten dahin.

Confirmed with Slavische Melodien von Siegfried Kapper, Leipzig: Wilhelm Einhorn, 1844, pages 8-9.

Text Authorship:

by Siegfried Kapper (1821 - 1879), "Letzter Wille", appears in Slavische Melodien, in Aus dem Slovakenlande, first published 1844 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Slovak (Slovenčina) 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 Robert Fuchs (1847 - 1927), "Letzter Wille", op. 65 (Drei Gesänge für vierstimmigen Frauenchor mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1900 [ four-part women's chorus and piano ], Leipzig, Robitschek [sung text not yet checked]
by Walther von Goethe (1818 - 1885), "Letzter Wille", op. 22 (Slavische Bilder), Heft 1 no. 5, published 1851 [ voice and piano ], Bonn: N. Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Last will", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2010-03-12
Line count: 28
Word count: 84

Last will

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  If I knew, my little bell,
When it would toll,
I would have a little bed
Of gold prepared.

  Little bed, golden yellow,
Crystalline coverlet, --
It should please
Me and the lovely one!

  Above it two wreaths
Twined together, --
Because we two are
United by love.

  Above the wreaths
Two waxen candles, --
So that they may
Light up our hearts.

  In both wreaths
Two tulips, bright white, --
Because she is still a maiden,
I [still] a celibate.

  By every tulip
Two white carnations, --
Because our hearts 
Fade [and perish] so purely.

  And upon the carnations
Green ribbons, --
Because we faded away
While we were still so young.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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 Siegfried Kapper (1821 - 1879), "Letzter Wille", appears in Slavische Melodien, in Aus dem Slovakenlande, first published 1844
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

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

This text was added to the website: 2025-12-01
Line count: 28
Word count: 108