Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Wir biegen flammend schlanke Wipfel im Wind, Wir schauen Gärten, welche voll Frauen sind Und voll Spiel und Gelächter. Wir schauen Gärten, Wo Menschen geboren und wieder begraben werden. Wir sehen Tempel, welche vor vielen Jahren Voll von Göttern und voll von Betenden waren. Aber die Götter sind tot und die Tempel sind leer Und im Grase liegen gebrochene Säulen umher. Wir sehen Täler und sehen silberne Weiten, Wo Menschen sich freuen, müde werden und leiden, Wo Reiter reiten und Priester Gebete sagen, Wo Geschlechter und Brüder einander zu Grabe tragen. Aber des Nachts, wenn die großen Stürme kommen, Werden wir traurig und bücken uns todbeklommen, Stemmen die Wurzeln angstvoll und warten leise, Ob der Tod uns erreiche, oder vorüberreise.
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, pages 91-92.
Text Authorship:
- by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Die Zypressen von San Clemente", written 1901, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Süden, first published 1919 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Richard Maux (1893 - 1971), "Die Zypressen von San Clemente", op. 181 no. 5 (1926), published 1941 [ high voice or medium-high voice and piano ], from Italische Reise, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Els xiprers de San Clemente", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The cypresses of San Clemente", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Les cyprès de San Clemente", copyright © 2017, (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: 2009-05-24
Line count: 16
Word count: 120
We incline flaming slender tree-tops in the wind, We see gardens that are full of women And full of play and laughter. We see gardens Where people are born and are again buried. We see temples that, many years go, Were full of gods and full of praying people. But the gods are dead and the temples are empty And round about in the grass lie broken columns. We are valleys and see silvery expanses, Where people are happy, grow weary and suffer, Where riders ride and priests utter prayers, Where generations and brethren bear each other to the grave. But at night, when the great storms come, We become sad and bow down, oppressed unto death, We brace our roots anxiously and wait quietly To see if death shall reach us, or shall travel past.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Die Zypressen von San Clemente", written 1901, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Süden, first published 1919
This text was added to the website: 2018-03-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 136