by
Robert Walser (1878 - 1956)
Zu philosophisch
Language: German (Deutsch)
Wie geisterhaft im Sinken
Und Steigen ist mein Leben.
Stets seh' ich mich mir winken,
dem Winkendem entschweben.
Ich seh' mich als Gelächter,
als tiefe Trauer wieder,
als wilden Redeflechter;
doch alles dies sinkt nieder.
Und ist zu allen Zeiten
wohl niemals recht gewesen.
Ich bin vergeßne Weiten
Zu wandern auserlesen.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Bertram Kottmann , "Overly philosophic", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission ; composed by Gary Bachlund.
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2007-08-29
Line count: 12
Word count: 51
Overly philosophic
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
A phantom in its falling
and rising is my being.
Ever I see me calling
myself yet from me fleeing.
I see myself -- a laughter,
a sadness darkly sprawling,
a demagogue thereafter;
yet everything is falling.
And may in my life's phases
have never had a bearing.
In long forgotten spaces
I find myself wayfaring.
Translation dedicated to Walter A. Aue
Authorship:
Based on:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Researcher for this page: Bertram Kottmann
This text was added to the website: 2009-04-07
Line count: 12
Word count: 55