Emanuel von Geibel: “O Still This Ardent Yearning”
Excerpt, “Lyrics and Ballads of Heine and Other German Poets.”
Translated by Frances Hellman. 1892..

Oh still this ardent yearning,
Sooth this sweet agony!
To clasp thee I am burning,
Let thy lover come to thee!
E’en now the world lies dreaming,
Night sheds its fragrant dew;
The moon from her blue vault beaming,
Keeps watch o’er lovers true.
On those with fond love burning,
She beams most tenderly.
O still this ardent yearning,
Let thy lover come to thee!
.
Like fire that sweetly consumes me,
Thou glowest in my heart;
O lift the veil that dooms me
From thee to keep apart!
To thy red lips let me cling then
And drink thy soul divine,
My own soul I will bring then
And yield it up for thine –
O still this ardent yearning,
Sooth this sweet agony!
To clasp thee I am burning,
Let thy lover come to thee!
.
The golden stars send greeting
Down from the heavens bright:
Kisses and whispers are fleeting
Mysterious, through the night.
And even the little flowers
Their heads with longing move,
The nightingales sing in the bowers;
Thou, too, may’st dream and love!
In dreams with passion burning
We two shall blessed be.
.