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[Solang]1 man nüchtern ist, Gefällt das Schlechte; Wie man getrunken hat, Weiß man das Rechte; Nur ist das Übermaß Auch gleich zuhanden: Hafis, o lehre mich, Wie du's verstanden! Denn meine Meinung ist Nicht übertrieben: Wenn man nicht trinken kann, Soll man nicht lieben; Doch sollt ihr Trinker euch Nicht besser dünken: Wenn man nicht lieben kann, Soll man nicht trinken.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotes1 Wolf : "So lang"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, written 1814, appears in West-östlicher Divan, in 9. Das Schenkenbuch -- Saki Nameh [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 Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Trinklied aus dem Divan", op. posth. 75 (Sechs Lieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 3 (c1837), published 1849 [ four-part men's chorus ]
Score: IMSLP [external link] [sung text not yet checked] - by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "So lang man nüchtern ist", 1889, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 36, Mainz, Schott
Score: IMSLP [external link] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "For as long as you are sober", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Finché si è sobri", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 62
For as long as you are sober, you are pleased with what is bad; When you have had a drink, you know what's what; But then excess is on hand: Hafiz, teach me how you understand this. For my opinion isn't an exaggeration: If you can't drink you can't love; But then you drinkers shouldn't imagine yourself to be better: If you can't love you can't drink.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Malcolm Wren, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, written 1814, appears in West-östlicher Divan, in 9. Das Schenkenbuch -- Saki Nameh
This text was added to the website: 2006-03-01
Line count: 16
Word count: 67