Two poems of Heine, from Dichterliebe

I.
In the wondrous month of May,
As all the buds were blooming,
Then in my heart
Love made its dwelling.

In the wondrous month of May,
As all the birds were singing,
I then confessed to her
My yearning and my longing.

II.
From my tears spring up
Many blooming flowers -
My sighs are like
A choir of nightingales.

And if you but love me, darling,
I'll give you all those blooms
And at your window will ring
The song of the nightengale.

Zueignung

Zueignung—Dedication
Poem by Hermann von Glim - translated for a performance of Strauss's setting

Yes, you know it, dear soul -
That when parted from you I suffer.
Love makes hearts sick -
Have my thanks!

Drunk on freedom,
Oft I raised the amethyst goblet -
But you sanctified the drink.
Have my thanks!

And you dispelled the evils therein
Till I, as I never had been,
Blessed, blessed sank upon your breast.
Have my thanks!

Cecilia, you're breaking my Hart...

Poem by Heinrich Hart - translated here for a performance of Strauss's setting.


Cäcilie—Cecilia

If you but knew
What it is to dream of burning kisses,
Of wandering and resting with the beloved,
Eye turned to eye,
And cuddling and caressing -
If you but knew,
You would incline your heart to me!


If you but knew
What it is to feel dread on lonely nights,
Surrounded by storm,
While no gentle voice
Comforts your strife-weary soul -
If you but knew,
You would come to me.

If you but knew
What it is to live engulfed
By God’s world-creating breath,
To float up borne by light to blessed heights -
If you only knew,
You would spend your life with me!