Du lachst, weil ich gebetet habe;
Es tut mir leid, daß du es sahst
Und daß du nicht geschwiegen hast ...
Ich lernte es als Knabe -
Ich möchte in deinen Augen lesen,
Daß du mich doch verstanden hast -
Bist du denn nie ein Kind gewesen?
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 113-114.
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):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Overnighting in the hostel", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Gîte nocturne", 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: 2007-07-06
Line count: 7
Word count: 47
You laugh because I said my prayers,
I’m sorry that you saw it
And that you did not keep silent . . .
I learned it as a boy -
In your eyes I would like to read
That you nevertheless understood me -
Were you never a child?