The best love-letter | If she captivated you then

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by (Christian) Friedrich Hebbel (1813 - 1863)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Der beste Liebesbrief

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Hat sie's dir denn angethan
   Im Vorüberschweben,
So verfolge rasch die Bahn
   Zu dem neuen Leben.

Hasche dir den Schmetterling
   Auf dem Rosenhügel,
Nimm ihm mit dem blauen Ring
   Seinen weißen Flügel;

Borge von der Biene dann
   Dir den Honigrüssel,
Der zum Griffel dienen kann,
   Wie zum Blumenschlüssel;

Laß das Blatt nun ohne Scheu
   Durch die Lüfte schnellen:
Ist dir Amor hold und treu,
   Wird's der Wind bestellen.

Confirmed with Gedichte von Friedrich Hebbel, Gesammt-Ausgabe stark vermehrt und verbessert, Stuttgart und Augsburg: J.G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1857, page 264.

Text Authorship:

by (Christian) Friedrich Hebbel (1813 - 1863), "Der beste Liebesbrief", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Vermischte Gedichte [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 Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Der beste Liebesbrief", op. 6 no. 2 (1861) [ duet for soprano and baritone with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The best love-letter", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Bruno W. Häuptli , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2004-01-22
Line count: 16
Word count: 68

The best love‑letter

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

If she captivated you then
   In wafting past you,
Then follow the path quickly,
   [The path] to the new life.

Catch yourself the butterfly
   Upon the rosy hill,
With the blue ring, take from it
   Its white wing;

Then from the bee borrow
   The honey-sucking proboscis,
Which can serve as a stylus,
   As well as a key to the flowers;

Without fear now let the sheet
   Dart through the breezes:
If Amor is gracious to you and faithful,
   The wind shall see it delivered.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2019 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 (Christian) Friedrich Hebbel (1813 - 1863), "Der beste Liebesbrief", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Vermischte Gedichte
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2019-12-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 84