De ware liefde' is zoet, al breekt ze 't hart

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by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892)

Translation © by Geart van der Meer

And in those days she made a little song

Language: English

Our translations: DUT FRI

And in those days she made a little song,
And called her song "The Song of Love and Death,"
And sang it: sweetly could she make and sing.

  Sweet is true love tho' giv'n in vain, in vain;
  And sweet is death that puts an end to pain:
  I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.

  Love, art thou sweet? then bitter death must be:
  Love, thou art bitter; sweet is death to me.
  O Love, if death [be]¹ sweeter, let me die.

  Sweet love, that seems not made to fade away,
  Sweet death, that seems to make us loveless clay,
  I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.

  I fain would follow love, if that could be;
  I needs must follow death, who calls for me;
  Call and I follow, I follow! let me die.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. Walthew

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View original text (without footnotes)

Note: Many of the settings listed below probably use only the song itself, i.e., stanzas 2-5; Musical Settings of Early and Mid-Victorian Literature indicates that Papini and Mrs. Phillips include the first stanza as well in their settings.

¹ Walthew: "is"

Text Authorship:

by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), "The song of Love and Death", appears in Idylls of the King, Elaine's song in "Elaine", 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 Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870), "The song of Love and Death", published c1860 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by John G. Barnett (1802 - 1890), "Love and Death", published 1859 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by B. Beauchamp , "The song of Love and Death", published 1879 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by John Blockley (1800 - 1882), "Sweet is true love", published 1870? [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Jacques (Jacob) Blumenthal (1829 - 1908), "Sweet is true love", published 1880 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernest Crooke , "Sweet is true love", <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by William Richardson Dempster (1809 - 1871), "The song of Love and Death", published 1868 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by E[dwin?] Edwards , "Sweet is true love", published <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by A. Ewing , "The song of Love and Death", published 1872 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "Elaine's song", published 1890 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Helen Fothergill (d. 1939), "Sweet is true Love", published 1920 [sung text not yet checked]
by Stephen Ralph Glover (1812 - 1870), "Sweet is true love", <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Walter Cecil Hay (1828 - 1905), "Elaine's song", published 1861 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Edward Lear (1812 - 1888), "The song of Love and Death", published c1860 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by E. Levien , "The song of Love and Death", published 1863 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Maria Lindsay (flourished 1855-1875), "The song of Love and Death", published 1861 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by C. Lushington , "Elaine's song", published 1881 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by George Alexander MacFarren (1813 - 1887), "Love and Death", <<1892 [sung text not yet checked]
by Alexander Campbell MacKenzie, Sir (1847 - 1935), "The song of Love and Death", published 1870 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Frederick C. Nicholls (1871 - ?), "Elaine's song", published c1880 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by G. Papini , "Elaine", published 1887 [ voice and violin obbligato ] [sung text not yet checked]
by A. Phillips, Mrs. , "Elaine's song", <<1892 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Alfred Plumpton , "Sweet is true love", published 1866 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Elises Smith , "Elaine", published 1864 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Charlton Templeman Speer (1859 - 1921), "The song of Love and Death", published 1897 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by E. Stanynought , "Sweet is true love", published 1860 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Albert Orlando Steed (1839 - ?), "Love and Death", alternate title: "Elaine", published 1861 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Henry Walthew (1872 - 1951), "A song of Love and Death", 1898 [ mezzo-soprano, clarinet, and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by H. A. Feldmann , no title, appears in Königsidyllen, first published 1859 ; composed by Friedrich Klose.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this page: Peter Brixius

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-07
Line count: 15
Word count: 139

De ware liefde' is zoet, al breekt ze 't...

Language: Dutch (Nederlands) after the English

[...
...
...]

"De ware liefde' is zoet, al breekt ze 't hart,
En zoet de dood, die eindigt alle smart --
Ik weet niet wat het zoetste is voor mij.

Is zoet de liefde, bitter is de dood;
Is liefde bitter, zoet is dan de dood.
Als sterven zoeter is, de dood voor mij!

O zoete min, waarvan het vuur nooit dooft,
O zoete dood, die ons het leven rooft,
Ik weet niet wat het zoetste is voor mij.

Het liefst liep ik met liefde aan mijn zij;
Maar toch volg ik de dood, zijn stem lokt mij:
Roep en ik volg: het zoetst is sterven mij!"

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Text Authorship:

Translation from English to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2013 by Geart van der Meer, (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 English by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), "The song of Love and Death", appears in Idylls of the King, Elaine's song in "Elaine", first published 1859
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2013-04-23
Line count: 15
Word count: 105