Ex. 5-2: Der Liebende

Composed in the autumn-winter of 1809, to a poem by Christian Ludwig Reissig (1784–1847). Beethoven set the six stanzas as a strophic song in three verses, pairing two stanzas per verse.

The poem captures a man bewildered by the awakening of love — his heart pounds inexplicably, a trembling he has never felt before: "What a wonderful life, a mixture of pain and joy! Heart, my heart, why this pounding? I have never seen you like this!"