À Bélinda | Ah pourquoi m'attires-tu irrésistiblement

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Warum ziehst du mich unwiderstehlich

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: FRE

Warum ziehst du mich unwiderstehlich,
Ach, in jene Pracht?
War ich guter Junge nicht so selig
In der öden Nacht?

Heimlich in mein Zimmerchen verschlossen,
Lag im Mondenschein,
Ganz von seinem Schauerlicht umflossen,
Und ich dämmert' ein;

Träumte da von vollen goldnen Stunden
Ungemischter Lust,
Hatte [schon]¹ dein liebes Bild empfunden
Tief in meiner Brust.

Bin ichs noch, den du bei so viel Lichtern
An dem Spieltisch hältst?
Oft so unerträglichen Gesichtern
Gegenüber stellst?

Reizender ist mir des Frühlings Blüte
Nun nicht auf der Flur:
Wo du, Engel, bist, ist Lieb' und Güte,
Wo du bist, Natur.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• P. Wolfrum

P. Wolfrum sets stanzas 1-3, 5

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Goethes sämmtliche Werke in sechsunddreißig Bänden, Zwölfter Band, Stuttgart, 1868.

¹ Wolfrum: "ganz"

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "An Belinden", written 1775 [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 Philipp Christoph Kayser (1755 - 1823), "An Belinden", published 1777 [sung text not yet checked]
by Arnold Mendelssohn (1855 - 1933), "Am Belinden" [sung text not yet checked]
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Am Belinden", published 1794 [sung text not yet checked]
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Am Belinden", published 1809 [sung text not yet checked]
by Philip Wolfrum (1854 - 1919), "An Belinden", op. 16 (Sechs Lieder von Goethe für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte. 4. Heft der Lieder und Gesänge) no. 3, published 1884, stanzas 1-3,5 [ voice and piano ], München, Aibl [sung text checked 1 time]

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

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 98

À Bélinda

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Ah pourquoi m'attires-tu irrésistiblement,
Dans cette splendeur ?
N'étais-je point un bon jeune homme heureux
Dans ma nuit déserte ?

Secrètement enfermé dans ma chambrette,
Allongé au clair de lune,
Complètement enveloppé de sa lumière,
J'étais à demi conscient ;

Je rêvais là d'heures dorées,
Emplies d'une joie sans mélange,
J'avais déjà accueilli ta chère image
Au plus profond de mon cœur.

Suis-je encore celui-là qu'avec tant de lumière
Tu retiens à la table de jeu ?
Avec souvent des figures insupportables
Face à moi ?

Maintenant les floraisons du printemps
Ne m'attirent plus dans les champs :
Où tu es, ange, est amour et bonté
Où tu es, nature.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "An Belinden", written 1775
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-07-07
Line count: 20
Word count: 104