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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

An die Freunde in schwerer Zeit
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
Auch in diesen [dunklern]1 Stunden,
Liebe Freunde, laßt mich gelten;
Ob ich's hell, ob trüb gefunden,
Nie will ich das Leben schelten.

Sonnenschein und Ungewitter
Sind desselben Himmels Mienen;
Schicksal soll, ob süß ob bitter,
Mir als liebe Speise dienen.

Seele geht verschlungene Pfade,
Lernet ihre Sprache lesen!
Morgen preist sie schon als Gnade,
Was ihr heute Qual gewesen.

Sterben können nur die Rohen,
Andre will die Gottheit lehren,
Aus dem Niedern, aus dem Hohen
Seelenhaften Sinn zu nähren.

Erst auf jenen letzten Stufen
Dürfen wir uns Ruhe gönnen,
Wo wir, väterlich gerufen,
Schon den Himmel schauen können.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   B. Stürmer 

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.

View original text (without footnotes)

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 233.

1 Stürmer: "dunklen"

Text Authorship:

  • by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "An die Freunde in schwerer Zeit", written 1915 [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 Wilhelm Österreicher (b. 1906), "An die Freunde in schwerer Zeit", 1951, published 1951 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Klaus Sonnenburg (b. 1927), "An die Freunde in schwerer Zeit ", published 1955 [ four-part mixed chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Bruno Stürmer (1892 - 1958), "An die Freunde in schwerer Zeit ", published 1951 [ four-part mixed chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Als amics en temps difícils", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "To my friends in difficult times", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "À mes amis en des temps difficiles", copyright © 2018, (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: 2009-05-26
Line count: 20
Word count: 99

To my friends in difficult times
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
In these [darker]1 hours as well,
Dear friends, let [my words] be heeded;
Whether I found it bright or dreary,
Never shall I berate life.
 
Sunshine and violent storms
Are both faces of the same sky;
Whether sweet or bitter, fate
Shall serve me as a valued repast.
 
The soul walks upon tortuous paths;
Learn to read their message!
Tomorrow already [the soul] shall praise as a blessing
That which today it felt to be agony.
 
Only the crude can die,
The others the divinity wishes to instruct
How to extract soulful sustenance
From the lowly, from the lofty.
 
Only upon those last steps
May we grant ourselves rest,
There where, summoned in a fatherly manner,
We may already see Heaven.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Stürmer: "dark"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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), "An die Freunde in schwerer Zeit", written 1915
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2016-11-17
Line count: 20
Word count: 122

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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