Weep, weep, weep not

Richard Georg Strauss

Weep, weep, weep not!

I will love you, but just not today.

I will honour you as much as I can,

but keeping -

but keeping is not for me.

Believe, believe, believe firmly

that I will never lose my fidelity:

I will be constant forever, and never stray;

I will be true to you.

But committment is not for me.

Hope, hope, hope, my dear

that my words are genuine;

I swear to you by my honour

that I am truthful:

but marriage is never my meaning.