When do I see thee most, beloved one? When in the light the spirits of mine eyes Before thy face, their altar, solemnize The worship of that Love through thee made known? Or when in the dusk hours, (we two alone) Close-kissed and eloquent of still replies Thy twilight-hidden glimmering visage lies, And my soul only sees thy soul its own? O love - my love! if I no more should see Thyself, nor on the earth the shadow of thee, Nor image of thine eyes in any spring, How then should sound upon Life's darkening slope The groundwhirl of the perished leaves of Hope The wind of Death's imperishable wing?
Text Authorship:
- by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882), "Lovesight", appears in Poems, first published 1870 [author's text not yet checked 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 John Hall (b. 1943), "Lovesight", 1974, first performed 1974 [ voice and piano ], from Three Poems of Dante Gabriel Rossetti [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ellen Riley (d. 1904), as Ellen Wright, "Lovesight", published 1900 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "Lovesight", 1903, published 1904 [ voice and piano ], from The House of Life, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Augen der Liebe", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
- POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Kiedy cię widzieć najlepiej?", Warsaw, Księgarnia H. Antenberga, first published 1907
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Wann schau ich dich recht wahrhaft, Liebste mein? Ist es am Tag, wenn ich im goldnen Licht Fromm den Altar der Liebe auferricht Und meine Augen deinem Dienst sich weihn? Ist es im Dämmer, wenn wir zwei allein, Wenn stumm ein Kuß nur unser Schweigen bricht, Wenn keine Lippe, nur die Seele spricht, Die eine, die zur Seele ward, aus zwein? O Liebe, Liebste, schaut´ ich dich nicht mehr, Den Schatten deiner Wimpern, süß und schwer, In deiner Augen Glanz des Frühlings Bild, Mein welkes Leben, Laub von Herbsteshügeln, Raschelte tanzend hin, wirbelig wild, im Hauch, der herweht von des Todes Flügeln.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 179.
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Augen der Liebe", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882), "Lovesight", appears in Poems, first published 1870
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 102