Thus the stars travel along their courses

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

So ziehen Sterne ihre Bahn

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

So ziehen Sterne ihre Bahn,
Unwandelbar und unverstanden!
Wir winden uns in hundert Banden,
Du steigst von Glanz zu Glanz hinan.

Dein Leben ist ein einzig Licht!
Ich muß aus meinen Dunkelheiten
Sehnsüchtige Arme nach dir breiten,
Du lächelst und verstehst mich nicht.

About the headline (FAQ)

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 41.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "So ziehen Sterne --", written 1898, appears in Maria, no. 2 [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 Christian Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "So ziehen Sterne ihre Bahn", 1980? [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Gerhard Wiemer (b. 1902), "So ziehen Sterne ihre Bahn", 1952 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Xaver Zintl (1903 - 1987), "So ziehen Sterne ", op. 8 no. 2 (1950) [ baritone and piano ], from Maria - Liederzyklus für Bariton, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Gianni Franceschi) , "Così le stelle percorrono", copyright © 2014, (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: 2009-05-01
Line count: 8
Word count: 43

Thus the stars travel along their...

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Thus the stars travel along their courses,
Unchanging and uncomprehended!
We writhe in a hundred fetters,
You rise, passing from radiance to radiance.

Your life is nothing but light!
From my darknesses I must
Stretch forth yearning arms to you,
You smile and do not understand me.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of title(s):
"So ziehen Sterne --" = "Thus the stars travel--"
"So ziehen Sterne ihre Bahn" = "Thus the stars travel along their courses"

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), "So ziehen Sterne --", written 1898, appears in Maria, no. 2
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-05-03
Line count: 8
Word count: 47