☝️ Key Points
- Serenade is a romantic love song in which the singer expresses longing and love
- The song is sung at night, symbolized by 'serenade', in the hopes that the beloved will hear it
- The singer invites the beloved to share his love and assures her that she need not fear rejection or misunderstandings
- Nature, including singing birds, is depicted as part of the romantic scene, seemingly proclaiming his love for him
- The singer's deep feelings and heartache are so intense that they are almost physically palpable and are expressed through the birds in their songs
- The singer ends with a plea to the beloved to reciprocate his feelings and make him happy, showcasing his desperation and longing for love
Interpretation
The song lyrics 'Serenade leise flehen meine lieder' by
Franz Schubert is a romantic love song. It is about a lover expressing their longing and love for their beloved.
'Serenade' means that the song is sung at night, often under the beloved's window. 'Leise flehen meine Lieder durch die Nacht zu dir' shows that the singer expresses their feelings through the song, hoping that their beloved will hear it.
'Der stillen Hain hernieder, Liebchen, komm zu mir!' shows the invitation to the beloved to come to them and share their love.
'Des Verräters feindlich Lauschen Fürchte, Holde, nicht' shows the fear that the declaration of love will be rejected or misunderstood, but assures them that they have nothing to fear.
'Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen? Ach! sie flehen dich, Mit der Töne süßen Klagen Flehen sie für mich' shows that the nature around them is part of their romantic scene, and even the birds seem to sing for them and proclaim their love.
'Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen, Kennen Liebesschmerz, Rühren mit den Silbertönen Jedes weiche Herz' indicates that their love is so strong that it can almost be felt physically, and their heartache is so deep that even the birds can express it in their songs.
'Laß auch dir die Brust bewegen, Liebchen, höre mich! Bebend harr' ich dir entgegen! Komm, beglücke mich!' is the final call to the beloved to reciprocate their feelings and make them happy. It shows the desperation and longing of the singer to be loved.