Solitude | The way is difficult, the way is long

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Einsamkeit

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG

Der Weg ist schwer, der Weg ist weit,
Doch kann ich nicht zurück;
Wer einmal dein ist, Einsamkeit,
Dem bist du Tod und Glück.
 
Die Sehnsucht brennt; von drunten her
Ruft mütterlich die Welt;
Wie ist ihr Ruf von Liebe schwer,
Wie rot von Lust erhellt.
 
Doch wer den ersten Becher trank
Vom Wasser Einsamkeit,
Dem singt kein Vogel mehr zum Dank,
Der geht nicht mehr zu zweit.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• H. Müller • H. Wagner

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.

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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 552-553.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Einsamkeit", subtitle: "(1918)", written 1918 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-05-20
Line count: 12
Word count: 70

Solitude

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Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The way is difficult, the way is long,
But I cannot go back;
He who once belongs to you, solitude,
To him you are death and happiness.

Yearning burns; from down below
The world calls like a mother;
How her cry is laden with love,
How rosily bright with joy.

But he who has quaffed the first goblet
Of the water solitude,
To him no bird sings more in gratitude,
He no longer walks as a twosome with anyone else.

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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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Einsamkeit", subtitle: "(1918)", written 1918
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2018-01-07
Line count: 12
Word count: 82