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by Wilhelm Ritter von Hertz, Dr. (1835 - 1902)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Letzter Wunsch
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Mein Schatz will Hochzeit halten,
 Ich liege auf den Tod
Und nehme mit [zu]1 Grabe,
 Was ich in Schmerz und Noth
Um ihn gelitten habe.

An meinem Fenster [blühen]2
 Gelbveigel und Rosmarin;
Wenn ich von Lieb und Jammer
 Hinweggeschieden bin,
Tragt still sie aus der Kammer!

Zwei Sträußlein sollt ihr binden,
 Eins heftet mir an's Kleid,
Eins sendet meinem Knaben;
 Es ist für alle Zeit
Die letzte meiner Gaben.

O dürft' ich ungesehen
 Dem frohen Paare nah'n,
Und, wenn die Glocken läuten,
 [Ihn segnend noch]3 umfah'n, --
Und treten still beiseiten.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   H. Bill 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Deutscher Dichterwald. Lyrische Anthologie von Georg Scherer, Vierte Auflage, Stuttgart, Eduard Hallberger, 1874, pages 517-518. Note: modern German would change the following spellings: "Noth" -> "Not"

1 Bill: "zum"
2 Bill: "blüh'n"
3 Bill: "und segnend ihn" (nonsensical)

Text Authorship:

  • by Wilhelm Ritter von Hertz, Dr. (1835 - 1902), "Letzter Wunsch", appears in Gedichte, Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe, pages 70-71, first published 1859 [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 Johannes Bartz (1848 - 1933), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 16 (5 Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1893 [ medium voice and piano ], Zittau, Loebel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hans Bill (1863 - 1936), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Josef Giehrl (1857 - 1893), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 4 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], München, Halbreiter [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Adolf Jensen (1837 - 1879), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 14 (6 Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1 (1864), published 1864 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Erik Meyer-Helmund (1861 - 1932), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 17 (Zwei Lieder für Sopran (oder Tenor) mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1885 [ sorpano or tenor and piano ], Hamburg, Rahter [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Joseph (Gabriel) Rheinberger (1839 - 1901), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 55 no. 8 (1863), published 1871 [ soprano and piano ], from Liebesleben. Ein Cyclus von 8 Liedern, no. 8, Leipzig, Forberg [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Joseph (Gabriel) Rheinberger (1839 - 1901), "Letzter Wunsch", 1864, published 2004, second version [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Heinrich Kaspar Schmid (1874 - 1953), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 9 (Lieder und Duette mit Begleitung des Klaviers) no. 2, published 1906 [ voice and piano ], München: Dr. Heinrich Lewy ; Schott [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille (1861 - 1907), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 36 (Drei Mädchenlieder) no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Max Zenger (1837 - 1911), "Letzter Wunsch", op. 3 (Acht kleine Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Klavierbegleitung) no. 6, published c1865 [ voice and piano ], Stuttgart: Ebner [sung text checked 1 time]

Another version of this text exists in the database.

  • Go to the text. [ view differences ]

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Last wish", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Dernière volonté", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Peter Donderwinkel , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 93

Last wish
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
My beloved wishes to celebrate his wedding,
 I am lying near to death
And take along with me into the grave
 That which, in pain and misery
I have suffered because of him.

At my window there bloom
 Wallflowers and rosemary;
When I have passed away
 From love and sorrow,
Carry them quietly from the room!

Two bouquets you are to make;
 Attach one of them to my gown,
Send one of them to my lad;
 It is for all time
The last gift I shall bestow upon him.

Oh if, unseen, I could
 Draw near to the happy couple,
And, when the bells ring,
 Embrace him yet with my blessing, --
And then quietly turn aside.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2012 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 Wilhelm Ritter von Hertz, Dr. (1835 - 1902), "Letzter Wunsch", appears in Gedichte, Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe, pages 70-71, first published 1859
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-07-14
Line count: 20
Word count: 116

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