The playing of a flute | Through bushes and trees, a house at night

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Flötenspiel

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG

Ein Haus bei Nacht durch Strauch und Baum
Ein Fenster leise schimmern ließ,
Und dort im unsichtbaren Raum
Ein Flötenspieler stand und blies.
 
Es war ein Lied so altbekannt,
Es floß so gütig in die Nacht,
Als wäre Heimat jedes Land,
Als wäre jeder Weg vollbracht.
 
Es war der Welt geheimer Sinn
In seinem Atem offenbart,
Und willig gab das Herz sich hin
Und alle Zeit ward Gegenwart.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Wetzel

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, page 364.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Flötenspiel", written 1940 [author's text checked 1 time 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: 2009-05-07
Line count: 12
Word count: 69

The playing of a flute

NOTE: the footnotes have been removed from this text; return to general view

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Through bushes and trees, a house at night 
Quietly let a window shimmer,
And there in the invisible room
A flautist stood and blew his flute.

It was a song so well known,
It flowed so graciously into the night,
As if every land were a homeland,
As if travel on every road had been completed.

The world’s secret spirit was
Revealed in his breath,
And my heart willingly gave itself over
And all time became the present.

View text with all available footnotes

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), "Flötenspiel", written 1940
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2018-05-03
Line count: 12
Word count: 80