by
Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Der Dichter
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): CAT ENG FRE
Schöne Verse einer Dame zu Ehren,
Lustige Schwänke mit Worten, die silbern lachen,
Abenteuer und Fabeln will ich euch lehren
Von Helden, Frauen, Schwänen und bösen Drachen.
Aber von jenen Dingen,
Die in der Nacht aus dumpfem Traum
Traurig und sehnlich steigen
Und von denen allein zu singen
Alle Saiten der Seele begehren,
Von denen will ich euch lehren
Zu schweigen.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, page 142.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El poeta", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The poet", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le poète", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2007-05-23
Line count: 11
Word count: 61
The poet
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
I wish to teach you beautiful verses to honour a lady,
Merry farces with words that laugh silverily,
Adventures and fables
Of heroes, women, swans and evil dragons.
But of those things,
Which in the night arise from a dull dream
Sadly and yearningly,
And of which alone to sing
All the strings of my soul desire,
About those I wish to teach you
To keep silent.
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2017 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Der Dichter", written 1905, appears in Unterwegs, first published 1911
This text was added to the website: 2017-10-12
Line count: 11
Word count: 67