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by Nelly Sachs (1891 - 1970)

Wenn du dir deine Wände neu aufrichtest
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Wenn du dir deine Wände neu aufrichtest -- 
deinen Herd, Schlafstatt, Tisch und Stuhl --
hänge nicht deine Tränen um sie, 
  die dahingegangen,
die nicht mehr mit dir wohnen werden 
an den Stein
nicht an das Holz --
Es weint sonst in deinen Schlaf hinein, 
den kurzen, den du noch tun mußt.

Seufze nicht, wenn du dein Laken bettest, 
es mischen sich sonst deine Träume 
mit dem Schweiß der Toten.

Ach, es sind die Wände und die Geräte 
wie die Windharfen empfänglich
und wie ein Acker, darin dein Leid wächst, 
und spüren das Staubverwandte in dir.

Baue, wenn die Stundenuhr rieselt, 
aber weine nicht die Minuten fort
mit dem Staub zusammen,
der das Licht bedeckt.

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.

Text Authorship:

  • by Nelly Sachs (1891 - 1970) [author's text not yet checked 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 Helmut Bornefeld (1906 - 1990), "Wenn du dir deine Wände neu aufrichtest", BoWV 101 no. 7 (1965) [ soprano and organ ], from Psalm der Nacht nach Texten von Nelly Sachs, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2024-03-04
Line count: 20
Word count: 112

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