Ob ich dich liebe, weiß ich nicht. Seh' ich nur einmal dein Gesicht, Seh' dir ins Auge nur einmal, Frei wird mein Herz von aller Qual. Gott weiß, wie mir so wohl geschicht! Ob ich dich liebe, weiß ich nicht.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Iris: Vierteljahresschrift für Frauenzimmer, vierter Band, erstes Stück, ed. by Johann Georg Jacobi, Düsseldorf: Haude & Spener, 1775, page 71. Appears in Minnelieder, with no author given. The poem has been attributed to Goethe (untitled) and to Gleim with various titles: "Der Frauentanz. Nach Herr Ulrich von Liechtenstein", "Freundin aus der Wolke", "Nach eben demselben", and "Nach Her Johans Hadloub"). Cf. Burkhard Moennighoff, Goethes Gedichttitel, Berlin, New York: de Gruyter: 2000, p. 75.
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
- possibly by Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (1719 - 1803) [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
- possibly by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Ob ich dich liebe", 2009 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johannes Doebber (1866 - 1921), "Unbewusste Liebe", op. 6 (Drei Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebleitung) no. 3, published 1888 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simon [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mary (Carlisle) Howe (1882 - 1964), "Zweifel" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robert Kahn (1865 - 1951), "Ob ich dich liebe", 1908 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adela Maddison (c1862 - 1929), "Ob ich dich liebe", op. 15 no. 1, published 1902 [ medium voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies sur des poésies de Goethe, no. 1, Paris, Éd. A. Quinzard & Cie., also set in French (Français) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Ludwig Amand Mangold (1813 - 1889), "Ob ich Dich liebe", op. 74 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 6 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georg Vierling (1820 - 1901), "Unbewusste Liebe", op. 27 (Sechs Gedichte für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1861 [ voice and piano ], Breslau, Leuckart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (1760 - 1802), "Nach Hans Hadloub", published 1803, from Kleine Balladen und Lieder, Heft V, no. 13 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Robert, vicomte d'Humières (1868 - 1915) ; composed by Adela Maddison.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Melanie Trumbull , Dr Siglind Bruhn
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 40