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Bedecke deinen Himmel, [Zeus]1, Mit Wolkendunst, Und übe, dem Knaben gleich, Der Disteln köpft, [An]2 Eichen dich und Bergeshöhn; Mußt mir meine Erde Doch lassen stehn, Und meine Hütte, die du nicht gebaut, Und meinen Herd, Um dessen Gluth Du mich beneidest. Ich kenne nichts [Aermeres]3 Unter der Sonn', als euch, Götter! Ihr [nähret]4 kümmerlich [Von]5 Opfersteuern [Und]6 Gebetshauch Eure Majestät, [Und]7 darbtet, wären Nicht Kinder und Bettler Hoffnungsvolle Thoren. Da ich ein Kind war, Nicht wußte wo aus noch ein, Kehrt' ich mein verirrtes Auge Zur Sonne, als wenn drüber wär' Ein Ohr, zu hören meine Klage, Ein Herz, wie mein's, Sich des Bedrängten zu erbarmen. Wer half mir Wider der Titanen Uebermuth? Wer rettete vom Tode mich, Von Sklaverey? Hast du nicht Alles selbst vollendet, Heilig glühend Herz? Und glühtest jung und gut, Betrogen, Rettungsdank Dem Schlafenden da droben? Ich dich ehren? Wofür? Hast du die Schmerzen gelindert Je des Beladenen? Hast du die Thränen gestillet Je des Geängsteten? Hat nicht mich zum Manne geschmiedet Die allmächtige Zeit Und das ewige Schicksal, Meine Herrn und deine? Wähntest du etwa, Ich sollte das Leben hassen, In Wüsten fliehen, Weil nicht alle Blüthenträume reiften? Hier sitz' ich, forme Menschen Nach meinem Bilde, Ein Geschlecht, das mir gleich sey, Zu leiden, zu weinen, Zu genießen und zu freuen sich, Und dein nicht zu achten, Wie ich!
Confirmed with Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Zweyter Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1827, pages 79-81; and with Goethe's Schriften, Achter Band, Leipzig, bey Georg Joachim Göschen, 1789, pages 207-209.
First published anonymously in Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi's Ueber die Lehre des Spinoza in Briefen an den Herrn Moses Mendelssohn. Breslau, bey Gottl. Löwe. 1785, where Goethe's poem is included on four unpaginated pages between p.48 and p.49.
1 Goethe (in editions before 1827): "Zevs"2 Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "Mit"
3 Goethe (1789 edition): "ärmers"
4 Schubert: "nährt"
5 Schubert (Alte Gesamtausgabe): "Vom"
6 Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "Vom"
7 Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "Ihr"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Prometheus", written 1774, first published 1785 [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 Willem Frans Brandts-Buys (1868 - 1933), "Prometheus", op. 42 (Vier Lieder) no. 1, published <<1925 [ bass and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Mauke (1867 - 1930), "Prometheus", op. 33 (Drei Gedichte von Goethe für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Challier & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Prometheus", published 1809 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Röntgen (1855 - 1932), "Prometheus", op. 99 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Prometheus", D 674 (1819), published 1850 [ bass, piano ], A. Diabelli & Co., VN 8836, Wien (Nachlaß-Lieferung 47) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Prometheus", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 49, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Prometeu", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Prometheus", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Prometheus", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Prométhée", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Prometeo", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , "Prometheus", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 57
Word count: 233
Copri il tuo cielo, Zeus, di nubi tempestose, e sfogati, come un fanciullo che stronca i cardi, sulle querce e le cime dei monti; ma la mia terra non devi toccarla, né la mia casa, che tu non costruisti, né il mio focolare, per la cui fiamma tu mi invidi. Io non conosco nulla di più misero, sotto il sole, di voi, dèi! Nutrite a stento di sacrifici estorti e d'alito di preghiere la vostra maestà e sareste poveri, non esistessero i bambini e i miserabili stupidi pieni di speranza. Quando ero bambino, non sapevo da che parte, volgevo l'occhio smarrito verso il sole, come se là ci fosse un orecchio che ascoltasse il mio lamento, un cuore come il mio che avesse pietà del mio dolore. Chi mi aiutò contro la prepotenza dei Titani? Chi mi salvò dalla morte, dalla schiavitù? Non hai compiuto tutto da solo, santo cuore ardente? E non ardevi, giovane e ingenuo, - illuso - pieno di gratitudine, per l'addormentato lassù? Io, onorarti? E perché? Hai mai lenito i dolori di chi è sopraffatto? Hai confortato le lacrime di chi ha paura? Non mi ha formato uomo il Tempo onnipotente, e il Fato eterno, di me signori - e di te? Vaneggiavi per caso che io dovessi odiare la vita, fuggire nel deserto, perché non tutti i sogni giovanili maturarono? Qui io sto, plasmo uomini a mia immagine, una stirpe che mi somigli, per soffrire, per piangere, per gioire, per rallegrarsi e che di te non si curi, come me!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2006 by Amelia Maria Imbarrato, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Amelia Maria Imbarrato. We have no current contact information for the copyright-holder.
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Prometheus", written 1774, first published 1785
This text was added to the website: 2006-01-18
Line count: 57
Word count: 252