Alpine pass | Wandering through many valleys I came

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Alpenpaß

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Durch viele Täler wandernd kam ich her,
Nach keinem Ziele hin steht mein Begehr.

Hinschauend seh ich an der Ferne Rand
Italien, meiner Jugendjahre Land,

Indes vom Norden mir herüberschaut
Das kühlere Land, wo ich mein Haus gebaut.

Ich schaue still mit wunderlichem Schmerz
Zu meinem Jugendgarten südenwärts

Und winke grüßend mit geschwungenem Hut
Dem Norden zu, wo nun mein Wandern ruht.

Und brennend geht es durch die Seele mir:
Ach, meine Heimat ist nicht dort, nicht hier!

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, 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 203.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Alpenpaß", written c1910 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Heinz-Otto Hoffmann (b. 1902), "Alpenpaß", 1932-47 [ voice and piano ], from 21 Lieder, no. 16 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Justus Hermann Wetzel (1879 - 1973), "Alpenpaß", op. 11 no. 2, published 1925 [ voice and piano ], from Zweiter Liederkreis - 15 Gedichte von Hermann Hesse, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Coll dels Alps", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Alpine pass", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Col alpin", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-01-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 78

Alpine pass

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Wandering through many valleys I came,
I have no desire for any goal.

Gazing, I see on the rim of the distance
Italy, the land of the years of my youth,

While looking at me from the north
Is the cooler land, where I built my house.

I gaze silently with strange and curious pain
Southward to the garden of my youth

And wave my hat in greeting
To the north, where now my wandering rests.

And burningly a thought passes through my soul:
Ah, my homeland is neither there, nor here!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2014 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), "Alpenpaß", written c1910
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2014-01-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 92