# Lyrics help (opera? translation?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-help-opera-translation/505414 "2009-08-05T15:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-help-opera-translation/505414/1 "2009-08-05T15:00:03Z")
I was listening to NPR on Sunday, and the feature was side-by-side comparisons of various works. They did a few renditions of “Nature Boy”, which was wonderful. Then, right as I was getting out of the car, the host read the lyrics of the next song he was about to play. Turns out it was an opera, and he was reading a translation. A piece went something like this: If you want to love youth Then love the spring For the Sping renews forever But if you want to love love Then love me There were a few paragraphs that preceded the spring section, which had the same formula. It struck me as a wonderful bit of prose, and I just now remembered wanting to look it up. Anyone’s google fu strong today, or know it off-hand? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-help-opera-translation/505414/2 "2009-08-05T16:44:43Z")
Not an opera, but it sounds like Mahler’s song [Liebst du um Schönheit](http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=14094) (words by Rückert). ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-help-opera-translation/505414/3 "2009-08-05T17:12:40Z")
Boom! Great find, Biffy. Thanks. That’s exactly it.