The language of spring | Every child knows what springtime says

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Sprache des Frühlings

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Jedes Kind weiß, was der Frühling spricht:
Lebe, wachse, blühe, hoffe, liebe,
Freue dich und treibe neue Triebe,
Gib dich hin und fürcht das Leben nicht!

Jeder Greis weiß, was der Frühling spricht:
Alter Mann, laß dich begraben,
Räume deinen Platz den muntern Knaben,
Gib dich hin und fürcht das Sterben nicht!

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 314.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Sprache des Frühlings", written 1932 [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 Anton Würz (1903 - 1995), "Sprache des Frühlings", op. 36 no. 2 (1948) [ baritone and piano ], from Sechs Lieder für Bariton nach Gedichten von Hermann Hesse, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Anton Würz (1903 - 1995), "Sprache des Frühlings ", published 1963 [ four-part mixed chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The language of spring", 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: 2009-06-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 52

The language of spring

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Every child knows what springtime says:
Live, grow, blossom, hope, love,
Be joyful and send out new shoots,
Offer yourself up and do not fear life!

Every aged person knows what springtime speaks:
Old man, let yourself be buried,
Leave your place to the merry lads,
Offer yourself up and do not fear death!

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), "Sprache des Frühlings", written 1932
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-12-03
Line count: 8
Word count: 54