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by Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (1846 - 1908)
Translation Singable translation by Heinrich Zschalig (1848 - 1929)

Næppe tør jeg tale
Language: Danish (Dansk) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Næppe tør jeg tale,
Så vinker han brat;
Kongen drømmer vågen,
Men værre dog ved Nat;
Ville så gerne sige ham,
Hvad mest jeg tænker på...
Jeg tænker på svundne Dage:
Det kan han ej forstå!

Jeg drømte, jeg var en Due
Og sattes med Høg i Bur,
For Høgens funklende Øje
Jeg flygted' med Skræk mod Mur;
Så bød han mig sikkert Lejde,
Hvorhen jeg blot havde Lyst...
Så hugged han Næbbets Kårde
Igennem mit hvide Bryst.

Våge må jeg stedse
Ved Dag og ved Nat,
Vender jeg mig fra ham,
Så vågner han brat,
Fatter mig i sit Favnetag,
Som ville jeg fra ham gå...
Hans Kys er glødende Lue;
Jeg kan dem ej forstå.

Confirmed with Drachmann, Holger, Samlede Petiske Skrifter - Folkeudgave - Fjerde bind, Gyldendalske Boghandel Nordisk Forlag, Kjøbenhavn og Kristiania, 1907.


Text Authorship:

  • by Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (1846 - 1908), "Næppe tør jeg tale", appears in Ranker og roser, in Dyvekes Viser, in Paa Sjælland, no. 3 [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 Peter Arnold Heise (1830 - 1879), "Næppe tør jeg tale", published 1879 [ voice and piano ], from Dyvekes Sange, no. 5, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Heinrich Zschalig ; composed by Peter Arnold Heise.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English (Camilla Bugge) , "Hardly dare I speak", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "C'est à peine si j'ose parler", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Camilla Bugge , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2004-12-11
Line count: 24
Word count: 117

Kaum wag' ich zu reden
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Danish (Dansk) 
Kaum wag' ich zu reden, 
fährt er auf und erwacht;
wachend träumt der König, 
doch schlimmer noch bei Nacht.
Möchte so gern doch sagen ihm, 
was ich im Traum gesehn.
Ich denke verschwundner Tage;
das kann er nicht verstehn!

Ich träumte, ich sass 
im Bauer als Taube mit einem Aar,
erschrocken kroch ich zur Mauer, 
vorm funkelnden Augenpaar;
da bot er mir sicher Geleite,
wohin ich nur hatte Lust,
da schlug er des Schnabels Schneide
mir tief in die weisse Brust.

Wachen muss ich immer 
bei Tag und bei Nacht,
wende ich mich von ihm, 
fährt er auf und erwacht,
hält mich in seinen Armen fest,
als wollte ich von ihm gehn.
Sein Kuss ist glühende Lohe,
ich kann es nicht verstehn.

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation by Heinrich Zschalig (1848 - 1929) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Danish (Dansk) by Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (1846 - 1908), "Næppe tør jeg tale", appears in Ranker og roser, in Dyvekes Viser, in Paa Sjælland, no. 3
    • 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 Peter Arnold Heise (1830 - 1879), "Kaum wag' ich zu reden", published 1894 [ voice and piano ], from Dyvekes Lieder, no. 5, Leipzig, W. Hansen, also set in Danish (Dansk) [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-07-24
Line count: 24
Word count: 122

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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