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Immer sich rein
Kindlich erfreu'n,
Selig, wer's kann.
Jubeln und singen,
Hüpfen und springen,
Selig, wer's kann.
Lachen und scherzen
Mit fröhlichem Herzen,
Selig, wer's kann.
Sorgen [zerstreu'n]1,
Gerne [verzeih'n]2,
Selig, wer's kann.
Menschen beglücken,
Welch' ein Entzücken!
Selig, wer's kann.
Böses nicht messen
Und Vieles vergessen,
Selig, wer's kann.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesConfirmed with W.H.C.R.A v. Ungern-Sternberg, Bühne, Kunst und Liebe, Berlin: bei G. Reimer, 1831, page 108.
1 Lang: "zerstreuen"2 Lang: "verzeihen"
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Heilwig Carl Robert August von Ungern-Sternberg (1777 - 1847), no title, appears in Bühne, Kunst und Liebe, first published 1831 [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 Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Lied", op. 25 (Sechs Lieder) no. 4 (1834), published 1860 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig: Friedrich Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Song", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Canzone", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 54
Always to be purely happy
Like a little child,
Happy is he who can do so.
To rejoice and to sing,
To hop and leap about,
Happy is he who can do so.
To laugh and to jest
With a joyful heart,
Happy is he who can do so.
To scatter the anxieties [of others],
To forgive gladly,
Happy is he who can do so.
To make people happy,
What ecstasy!
Happy is he who can do so.
Not to reckon up the evil deeds [of others]
And to forget much,
Happy is he who can do so.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Wilhelm Heilwig Carl Robert August von Ungern-Sternberg (1777 - 1847), no title, appears in Bühne, Kunst und Liebe, first published 1831
This text was added to the website: 2006-12-11
Line count: 18
Word count: 98