Vilja's Song

Vilja's song is another mini story within a story. In The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar, the widow entertains guests at a big party by singing this song. This operetta is often sung in English but I like the German.
Here is a link to the song in English, but the English lyrics don't tell the real story. Most of the time, foreign lyrics can't keep the original translation and still fit the music.
This story has grabbed more the movie producers, it also affected Hitler enough to reverse an order to apprehend the composer's Jewish wife. Music is powerful.

These set of four postcards include the lyrics of Vilja Lied. I can't say that my vision of a wood nymph is portrayed, but I guess this model found period attire to pose for the painter?

Above the German is the English translation, not the English lyrics.

There lives a Vilja, a wood nymph
Es lebt' eine Vilja, ein Waldmägdelein.


A hunter saw it in the rocky cliffs
Ein Jäger erschaut' sie im Felsengestein.

The lad who has a distinct sense
Dem Burschen, dem wurde so eigen zu Sinn,

he looked and looked at the wood nymph's direction
Er schaute und schaut' auf das Waldmägdlein hin.

And a never known (before) shimmer
Und ein nie gekannter Schauer


Filled the young huntsman 

Faßt' den jungen Jägersmann.

Longingly
Sehnsuchtsvoll

Began he silently to sigh to: 

Fing er still zu seufzen an:






CHORUS
Vilja, oh Vilja, you wood nymph
'Vilja, oh Vilja, du Waldmägdelein,

Touch me and leave me your dear heart be 
Faß mich und laß mich dein Herzliebster sein!

Vilja, oh Vilja, what doing you me to 
Vilja, oh Vilja, was tust du mir an!'

Anxiously begs a lovesick man
Bang fleht ein liebkranker Mann. 

 The wood nymph stretched her hand by him to
Das Waldmägdlein streckte die Hand nach ihm aus

And pulled him in to her rocky home
Und zog ihn hinein in ihr felsiges Haus.

The lad the senses gone almost by 
Dem Burschen die Sinne vergangen fast sind:

Thus loved and thus kissed at all no earthly child
So liebt und so küßt gar kein irdisches Kind!




.
.

 As she herself then fully kissed
Als sie sich dann satt geküßt,

Vanished she to the same time. 
Verschwand sie zu derselben Frist.

Even while
Einmal noch

her arms are waving.
Hat der Arme sie gegrüßt.