by Johann Rumpelmeyer (1820 - 1887), as Johannes Nordmann
Translation Singable translation by Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872 - 1951)
Breathe gently, my song
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
Breathe gently, my song, through the silence of night, Nor waken my love from her dreams of delight; Thy way to her window tenderly take, Breathe gently, my song, nor cause her to awake! Breathe gently, my song, let each mellow tone Entreat my darling to sleep on. Thy tendrils of love round her heart entwine, As close to the tree clings the flow'ry vine; And sing as the nightingale in the glade To the rose sings his rapturous serenade. Awaken her not with too stormy caress; Like a pilgrim soft-shod, draw thou near to bless, As ent'ring devoutly a temple fair, So sound then my song, like a low murmur'd pray'r!
Note: this translation is for Liszt's second version. It's from the score in Franz Liszt. Thirty Songs. Edited by Charles Armbruster. Dover Publications, Inc., New York.
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
Authorship:
- Singable translation by Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872 - 1951), "Breathe gently, my song", first published 1911 [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Rumpelmeyer (1820 - 1887), as Johannes Nordmann
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
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Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-06-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 112