Delphine's song
(Poet's title: Lied der Delphine)
Set by Schubert:
D 857/1
[September 1825]
Part of Zwei Szenen aus dem Schauspiel Lacrimas, D 857
Ach was soll ich beginnen
Vor Liebe?
Ach, wie sie innig durchdringet
Mein Inn’res!
Siehe, Jüngling, das Kleinste
Vom Scheitel
Bis zur Sohl’ ist dir einzig
Geweihet.
O Blumen, Blumen verwelket,
Euch pfleget
Nur, bis sie Lieb’ erkennet,
Die Seele.
Nichts will ich tun, wissen und haben,
Gedanken
Der Liebe, die mächtig mich fassen,
Nur tragen.
Immer sinn ich, was ich aus Inbrunst
Wohl könne tun,
Doch zu sehr hält mich Liebe im Druck,
Nichts lässt sie zu.
Jetzt, da ich liebe, möcht ich erst leben,
Und sterbe.
Jetzt, da ich liebe, möcht ich erst brennen,
Und welke.
Wozu auch Blumen reihen und wässern?
Entblättert,
So sieht, wie Liebe mich entkräftet,
Sein Spähen.
Der Rose Wange will bleichen,
Auch meine.
Ihr Schmuck zerfällt, wie verscheinen
Die Kleider.
Ach Jüngling, da du mich erfreuest
Mit Treue,
Wie kann mich mit Schmerz so bestreuen
Die Freude?
Oh, how should I begin
For love?
Oh, how it inwardly permeates
What is within me!
Look, young man, the tiniest parts of me
From top
To toe, are only for you,
They are dedicated to you.
Oh flowers, flowers, wilt,
You are looked after
Only until it acknowledges love –
My soul.
I do not want to do, know or have anything;
Thoughts
Of love, which holds me fast,
Are all that I am carrying.
I am always thinking about what fervour
Could allow me to do,
Yet love holds such sway over me
That I am left unable to do anything.
Now, since I am in love, I would first like to live
And die.
Now, since I am in love, I would first like to burn
And fade.
Why should I even plant rows of flowers and water them?
Drop your petals!
That is how he will see how love is robbing me of my power
As a result of being on the look-out.
The rose’s cheeks will go pale,
As will mine.
Its adornment will fall off, as happens to old
Clothes.
Oh, young man, since you delight me
With your fidelity,
How can I be covered with pain by
Joy?
All translations into English that appear on this website, unless otherwise stated, are by Malcolm Wren. You are free to use them on condition that you acknowledge Malcolm Wren as the translator and schubertsong.uk as the source. Unless otherwise stated, the comments and essays that appear after the texts and translations are by Malcolm Wren and are © Copyright.
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Themes and images in this text:
Cheeks Clothes Fading and losing colour Flowers Joy Pain Roses and pink Soul
Delphine sings this song at the beginning of Act IV Scene 2 of ‘Lacrimas‘. The location is a garden in ‘Merameris’, a Sultanate somewhere in North Africa or the Middle East. In earlier scenes in the play (set near Malaga in southern Spain and in ‘Elmadina’, another Sultanate) Delphine has appeared in other gardens and (as these things tend to happen in this sort of play) her songs (usually sung on balconies) had been overheard by the same male character, Florio, whose movements around the Mediterranean are strangely similar to hers. He has of course fallen in love with her and has already serenaded her, though she has not yet told him that his feelings are reciprocated. As her song comes to an end she leaves the stage and Florio enters. It is clear that matters are about to be resolved.
It is her association with gardens throughout the play that underlies most of the strange floral imagery in her confession of love. Instead of seeing the blossoms around her as a reflection of her own passion, she associates them with the time she has wasted tending gardens, unable to escape the constraints that have limited her to caring only for plants. She is tired of her servitude and confinement and is perfectly happy for the flowers that have surrounded her wherever she has been taken to fade and die, if that will allow her own love to blossom.
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Original Spelling and notes on the text Lied der Delphine Ach was soll ich beginnen Vor Liebe? Ach, wie sie innig durchdringet Mein Innres! Siehe, Jüngling, das Kleinste Vom Scheitel Bis zur Sohl', ist dir einzig Geweihet. O Blumen! Blumen! verwelket, Euch pfleget Nur, bis sie Lieb' erkennet, Die Seele. Nichts will ich thun, wissen und haben, Gedanken Der Liebe, die mächtig mich fassen1, Nur tragen. Immer sinn' ich, was ich aus Inbrunst Wohl könne thun, Doch zu sehr hält mich Liebe im Druck, Nichts läßt sie zu. Jetzt, da ich liebe, möcht' ich erst leben, Und sterbe. Jetzt, da ich liebe, möcht' ich erst2 brennen, Und welke. Wozu auch Blumen reihen und wässern? Entblättert! So sieht, wie Liebe mich entkräftet, Sein Spähen. Der Rose Wange will bleichen, Auch meine. Ihr Schmuck zerfällt, wie verscheinen Die Kleider. Ach Jüngling, da du mich erfreuest Mit3 Treue, Wie kann mich mit Schmerz so bestreuen Die Freude? 1 Schubert changed 'faßte' (held) to 'fassen' (hold) 2 Schubert changed 'hell' (bright) to 'erst' (first) 3 Schubert changed 'Durch' (Through) to 'Mit' (With)
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Lacrimas, ein Schauspiel. Herausgegeben von August Wilhelm Schlegel. Berlin, Im Verlage der Realschulbuchhandlung. 1803, pages 118-119.
The text appears in Lacrimas, vierter Aufzug, zweyte Szene (Lied der Delphine).
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 118 [126 von 150] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ166582902