None but the lonely heart
knows what I suffer!
Alone and parted
from all joy,
I see the firmament
in that direction.Alas, who loves and knows me
is far away.
I’m dizzy, it burns
my entrails.
None but the lonely heart
knows what I suffer.
This song was written by Goethe in 1795, then translated by the Russian poet Lev Mei. That way it found its way to Russen music, as the last song of a six part song cycle Tchaikovsky created in 1869 and published as his opus 6. Hollywood star Mario Lanza and crooner Frank Sinatra both recorded English versions.
Here it is sung by Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, a name that I know very well because she played the lead role in one of the first opera’s I ever listened to. She was married to the famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, that accompanies her for these songs on piano. I had to look three times, but yes, it is the very same.