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.

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