Widmung (Dedication) by Robert Schumann

Lyrics and Translation:

Du meine Seele, du mein Herz,

You my soul, you my heart,

Du meine Wonn', o du mein Schmerz,

You my delight, o you my pain,

Du meine Welt, in der ich lebe,

you my world in which I live,

Mein Himmel du, darin ich schwebe,

my heaven you, into which I soar,

O du mein Grab, in das hinab

O you my grave in which

Ich ewig meinen Kummer gab!

I have buried forever my sorrows!

Du bist die Ruh, du bist der Frieden,

You are rest, you are peace.

Du bist der Himmel, mir beschieden.

you were given to me by heaven.

Dass du mich liebst, macht mich mir wert,

Your love makes me feel worthy, 

Dein Blick hat mich vor mir verklärt,

your glance has transformed me in my own eyes,

Du hebst mich liebend über mich,

you lift me lovingly above myself,

Mein guter Geist, mein beßres Ich!

my guardian spirit, my better self!

Character Study:

I.  Before

  1.  The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point is that I am about to be married.

  2.  My thoughts and feelings just before the song begins are that I am happy and excited to be married and that I love this person so much.  I want the world to know how wonderful I think they are and how special they are to me

II.   During

1.  I am a bride or a groom. 

2.  I am a young bride or groom.  I am loving, tender, passionate, and sweet.

3.  My lover is the other character involved.

4.  They are my greatest joy and my greatest pain, they always make me happy and when they are around, all my troubles melt away.  They are like a guardian angel sent from heaven, and they make me feel worthy.

5.  I am not with them now, but maybe I am talking to someone else about how much I love them.  Maybe I am talking with my friend on the street, or one of our houses.

6.  I could be speaking to my friends, my parents or just myself.

7.  Yes, this person is with me now.

8.  I am saying this because I feel like we are truly in love.  When I look into their eyes I can see what they see in me that makes them love me.  They love me better than I could love myself and think the world of me.

9.  My feelings throughout this song are happiness, amazement, and wonder.  It is awesome to know that someone has that amount of love for me.

10.  N/A

III.  After

1.  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends are that I am overjoyed that we are together and that we are in love.

2.  The events that will occur as a result of this song is that we will get married and live happily ever after.