I have had playmates, I have had companions, In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. I have been laughing, I have been carousing, Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. I loved a Love once, fairest among women: Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man: Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly; Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces. Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood, Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse, Seeking to find the old familiar faces. Friend of my bosom, thou more than a brother, Why wert not thou born in my father's dwelling? So might we talk of the old familiar faces -- How some they have died, and some they have left me, And some are taken from me; all are departed -- All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Lamb (1775 - 1834), "The old familiar faces" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Jan Mul (1911 - 1971), "The old familiar faces", 1969 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Die altvertrauten Augen", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-22
Line count: 21
Word count: 183
Gespielen hatt ich, Kameraden hatt ich, In meiner Kinderzeit, in froher Schulzeit – All, alle fort, die altvertrauten Augen. Ich konnte lachen, konnte lustig zechen, spät konnt ich auf sein mit den Spießgesellen – All, alle fort, die altvertrauten Augen. Ich liebte eine, lieblichste der Frauen: Fremd ist ihr Haus für mich, ich seh sie nie mehr – All, alle fort, die altvertrauten Augen. Hab einen Freund, kein Mensch hat einen bessern: Ließ ihn im Stich, den guten, plötzlich, grundlos – Ging, um zu schaun die altvertrauten Augen. Wie ein Gespenst sucht ich die Spur der Kindheit; Mir war als müßt ich eine Wüste queren, Wiederzusehn die altvertrauten Augen. Freund meiner Seele, mehr mir als ein Bruder! Wärst du gebor´n in meines Vaters Hause, Wir redeten von altvertrauten Augen – Wann dieser starb, wie jener mich verlassen, Ein andrer abfiel – – alle sind gegangen, All, alle fort, die altvertrauten Augen.
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Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 152.
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Die altvertrauten Augen", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Charles Lamb (1775 - 1834), "The old familiar faces"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-25
Line count: 21
Word count: 151