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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

An die Freunde in schwerer Zeit
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
Auch in diesen dunklern 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 text with all available 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.


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

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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