Zueignung.

One of Strauss's best known Songs, written when he was 18 going on 19 based on a poem by Hermann von Gilm.
What is it about? Clearly a love song. But is there more to it? What is "Einst hielt ich, der Freiheit Zecher, Hoch den Amethysten-Becher" all about? Translates as "Once, celebrating freedom, I Held high the amethyst beaker". The celebration is clearly a drunken one and Zecher can be taken as refering to a drinking party along the lines of an ancient Greek symposium (Trinkgelage, Zechgelage). Since ancient times, an "amethyst beaker" was used at drinking parties, because amethyst was seen as reducing the effects of alcohol. Glass beakers with an amethyst color were commom in 19th century Germany (and elsewhere) for drinking wine (a Bohemian amethyst beaker from 1860 is shown below) .
What happens next? "And you blessed the drink...And you exorcised the evils in it..." Perhaps the song refers to someone who saved the narrator from the evils of drink? Now, in 1882 Strauss went to university (the local one at Munich) to study philosophy. What did students in Germany do at that time: meet together and drink a lot of alcohol. Strauss was tee-total for most of his life (his main vice being smoking): perhaps he used the freedom of university to experiment with drink and was saved? We can probably never know if the song had a personal application for him, but clearly the Gilm poem has some such meaning. So far as I can find out, Gilm had not an advocate of revolutionary political ideas, so the "Freedom" being celebrated is not political -so probably not 1848 and all that.
It would not be for the fist time that the love of a good woman (or man) had saved a man (or woman) from the evils of drink! So, yes it is a love song, but with a special meaning.

Dedication

Yes, you know it, dearest soul,
How I suffer far from you,
Love makes the heart sick,
I thank you.

Once, celebrating freedom,
I Held high the amethyst beaker,
And you blessed the drink,
I thank you.

And you exorcised the evils in it,
Until, as never before,
Blessed, blessed, I sank upon your heart,
I thank you.


PS. Habe Dank - simply one of many ways of saying "Thank you". No native English speaker says "Have thanks"- maybe Borat - so that is just a lazy translation. I simply go for the simple "I thank you". Others have "Thanks to you", which has the advantage it fits the music.