Was im Netze? Schau einmal

Was im Netze? Schau einmal!
Aber ich bin bange;
Greif' ich einen süßen Aal?
Greif' ich eine Schlange?

Lieb' is blinde
Fischerin;
Sagt dem Kinde,
wo greift's hin?

Schon schnellt mir's in Händen!
Ach Jammer! O Lust!
Mit Schmiegen und Wenden
mir schlüpft's an die Brust.

Es beißt sich, o Wunder!
Mir keck durch die Haut,
schießt's Herze hinunter!
O Liebe, mir graut!

Was tun, was beginnen?
Das schaurige Ding,
Es schnalzet dadrinnen, 
Es legt sich im Ring.

Gift muß ich haben!
Hier schleicht es herum,
Tut wonniglich graben
Und bringt mich noch um!

Authorship

by Eduard Mörike (1804-1875) , title unknown

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Hugo Distler (1908-1942) , "Erstes Liebeslied eines Mädchens", op. 19 (Mörike-Chorliederbuch), Heft 2 no. 12 (1939). [chorus]
by Karl Ludwig Friedrich Hetsch (1806-1872) , "Erstes Liebeslied eines Mädchens", published 1838/9. [voice, guitar, and piano]
by Fritz Schieri (1922-) , "Erstes Liebeslied eines Mädchens", 1993. [female voice and piano]
by Manfred Schlenker (1926-) , "Erstes Liebeslied eines Mädchens", published 2006 [vocal quintet], from Zehn Mörike-Burlesken für fünf Stimmen, no. 2.
by Wolfgang Ulrich (1924-1995) , "Liebes-Lied eines Mädchen", 1982.
by Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) , "Erstes Liebeslied eines Mädchens", from Mörike-Lieder, no. 42.

ENG English (Eric Sams) , "A girl's first love-song", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Guy Laffaille) , "Premier chant d'amour d'une jeune fille", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Première chanson d'amour d'une jeunette", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

Gentle Reminder

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A girl's first love‑song

 What's in the net? Just look!
 But I'm frightened:
 is it a sweet eel I can feel,
 or a snake?
 
 Love is a blind
 fisher-girl;
 tell your child
 what she has caught.
 
 Already it's whipping in my hands,
 oh misery and joy!
 by nestling and wriggling
 it slithers to my breast.
 
 I marvel as it bites
 its bold way through my skin
 and shoots down to my heart!
 oh, Love, I'm scared!
 
 What can I do?
 The horrible thing
 is snapping inside,
 coiling into a ring!
 
 I must have poison;
 here it's sliding around
 blissfully burrowing,
 it will slay me yet.

Authorship

Translation from German to English copyright © by Eric Sams, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. Please contact the copyright-holder(s) when requesting permission to reprint and be sure to give proper credit.

a text in German by Eduard Mörike (1804-1875) , title unknown FRE

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.