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Liebliches Kind, Kannst du mir sagen, [Sagen warum Zärtliche Seelen Einsam und stumm]1 Immer sich quälen, Selbst sich [betrügen]2, Und ihr Vergnügen Immer nur [ahnden]3, Da wo sie nicht sind? Kannst du mir's sagen, Liebliches Kind?
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with J.W. Goethe, Claudine von Villa Bella, Ein Schauspiel mit Gesang, Berlin: bey August Mylius, 1776, page 68.
1 Brahms, Bruch, Neefe: "Warum einsam und stumm / Zärtliche Seelen"; Medtner: "Sage, warum/ Zärtliche Seelen/ Einsam und stumm"2 Brahms: "betrüben"
3 Brahms, Bruch: "ahnen"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Claudine von Villa Bella, Lied des Rugantino [author's text checked 2 times 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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Serenade", op. 70 (Vier Gesänge) no. 3, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Max Bruch (1838 - 1920), "Frage", subtitle: "Lied des Rugentino", op. 49 (Lieder und Gesänge für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1 (<<1882), published 1882 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Aus Claudine von Villa-Bella", op. 6 no. 5 (1904-5), from Neun Lieder von W. Goethe, no. 5, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hans Georg Nägeli (1773 - 1836), "Ungewissheit", 1800-10 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Gottlob Neefe (1748 - 1798), "Anhang", subtitle: "Serenate, aus Claudine von Villa Bella", published 1777 [ voice and piano ], from Serenaten beym Klavier zu singen, no. 7, Leipzig: Zu finden in der Dykischen Buchhandlung [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Aus Claudine von Villa Bella", published 1781 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Serenade (Lieftallig kind)", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Mia cara fanciulla", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 36
Lovely child, can you tell me, [tell me why tender souls, alone and mute,]1 always torture themselves, why they [beguile themselves]2, and why they seem to suspect that their pleasures will be where they are not; can you not tell me this, lovely child?
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Brahms, Bruch, Neefe, and some others: "why, alone and mute,/ tender souls"
2 Brahms: "make themselves gloomy"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Claudine von Villa Bella, Lied des Rugantino
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 44