Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Ohne dich wie lange Wird mir Stund' und Tag! Leer und öd' und bange Was ich schauen mag. Unser Hain der Liebe, Der so froh mich sah, Ist mir stumm und trübe, Denn du bist nicht da. Ich geh' hin und suche Deiner Tritte Spur, An der holden Buche, Unsrer treuen Flur, Rufe dich die Meine, Glaube dich mir nah, Sinke hin und weine; Denn du bist nicht da. Hör' ich dann [von weitem]1 Deiner Stimme Klang, O wie wird im Busen Mir das Herz Gesang. Bebend, wenn mich deine Zarte Hand berührt, Wird aus deiner Lippe Mir der Geist entführt.
Confirmed with Johann Gottfried von Herders sämmtliche Werde in vierzig Bänden, 16. Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen: J.G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1852, pages 196-197. Beneath the poem title is this text: "Französisch. (Nach dem Lied: Que le jour me dure. S[iehe]. Les Consolations des Misères de ma Vie, par Rousseau, Paris 1781. p. 97."
1 In one of Lang's manuscripts (in error): "vom Weiten"
Authorship
- by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), "Sehnsucht" [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
- a text in French (Français) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778), "Romance"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Ignaz Brüll (1846 - 1907), "Sehnsucht", op. 32 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1880 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Sehnsucht", c1835 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Philipp) Friedrich Silcher (1789 - 1860), "Sehnsucht", op. 58 no. 3, published 1876 [ four-part men's chorus a cappella ], from Zwölf Volkslieder für vier Männerstimmen, zehntes Heft, no. 3, Tübingen: H. Laupp'sche Buchhandlung [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ludwig Andreas Gotter (1661 - 1735) ; composed by Norbert Burgmüller, Anton Diabelli, Joh. Chr. Jusdorf, Carl Loewe, Franz Xaver Mozart, Friedrich Johann Albrecht Muck, Otto Ehrenfried Nicolai, Corona Elisabeth Wilhelmine Schröter, Gottlieb Streitwolf.
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by John [Jacques] Jacobsson.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Longing", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2012-09-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 101
Without you how long Hours and days become for me! Empty and desolate and fearful Is everything I gaze upon. The grove of our love, Which saw me so happy, Is mute and dreary to me, For you are not there. I go there and search For the trace of your steps At the lovely beech, Our familiar lea. I call you, [who are] mine, I imagine that you are near, I sink down and weep, For you are not there. If I then hear from far away The sound of your voice, Oh how within my bosom My heart turns into song. I tremble when your Delicate hand touches me, [When] by your lips My spirit is drawn from me.
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:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), "Sehnsucht" [an adaptation]
- a text in French (Français) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778), "Romance"
This text was added to the website: 2012-09-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 121