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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Translation © by Salvador Pila

Geständnis
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
Wer meine Freunde sind? --
Zugvögel, überm Ozean verirrt,
Schiffbrüchige Schiffer, Herden ohne Hirt,
Die Nacht, der Traum, der heimatlose Wind.

Am Wege liegen hinter mir
Zerstörte Tempel, Liebesgärten
Verwildernd, schwül und sommerzier,
Und Frau'n mit welken Liebesgebärden,
Und Meere, die ich überfuhr.

Sie liegen stumm und ohne Spur;
Kennt keiner, was versunken liegt,
Die Königskronen, die Herrscherstunden,
Die Freundesstirnen epheuumwunden.

Sie liegen von meinen Liedern gewiegt
Und dämmern blaß in meine Nächte,
Wenn hastig meine schmale Rechte
Mit raschem Stift in meinem Leben wühlt.

Ich habe nie ein Ziel errungen,
Meine Faust hat nie einen Feind gezwungen,
Mein Herz hat nie ein volles Glück gefühlt.

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.

Note: quoted in Hesse's Vollendung.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 17-18.


Text Authorship:

  • by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Geständnis", written 1898 [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):

    [ None yet in the database ]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Confessió", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Confession", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Confession", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-08-12
Line count: 20
Word count: 105

Confessió
Language: Catalan (Català)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Qui són els meus amics? –
Ocells de pas, perduts a l’oceà,
mariners naufragats, ramats sense pastor,
la nit, el somni, el vent sense pàtria.

Darrere meu al camí, resten
temples destruïts, jardins d’amor
abandonats, voluptuosos i ornats per l’estiu,
i dones amb un mústic posat d’amor,
i mars que jo he travessat.

Tots resten muts i sense deixar rastre;
ningú sap el que allà roman enfonsat,
les corones reials, les hores dels sobirans,
el front dels amics envoltat d’heura.

Resten bressats per les meves cançons
i llustregen esblaimats en les meves nits,
quan apressada, la meva magre mà dreta 
amb un ràpid llapis furga dins la meva vida.

Mai he aconseguit cap objectiu,
el meu puny mai ha colpejat un enemic,
el meu cor mai ha sentit la felicitat completa.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2025 by Salvador Pila, (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), "Geständnis", written 1898
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2025-01-25
Line count: 20
Word count: 131

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