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Nur ein Wandern ist das Leben, Und wir wandern auf und ab, Und wir hoffen, sehnen, streben, Und das Ziel ist nur ein Grab -- Nur ein Grab für dich, o Herz, Deine Freud' und deinen Schmerz. Vieles Schöne was wir hatten, Sel'ger Stunden stilles Glück, Ging dahin wie Traum und Schatten, Und wir blieben nur zurück. Und so schwindet allgemach Alles hin und wir ihm nach. Mag dann Alles sein geschieden Um uns her auf unserm Pfad, Wenn uns Eins nur bleibt hienieden: Das Bewußtsein edler That; Dann, o Tod, mag's morgen sein, Ruhig, ruhig harr' ich dein.
Confirmed with Hoffmann's von Fallersleben Gesammelte Werke, Herausgegeben von Dr. Heinrich Gerstenberg, Erster Band Lyrische Gedichte, Berlin: F. Fontane, 1890, page 138-139.
Text Authorship:
- by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), subtitle: "4. September 1850", written 1850, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in Dichterleben, in Reifere Mannesjahre [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 Hans Michael Schletterer (1824 - 1893), "Nur ein Wandern ist das Leben", op. 54 (Im Freien zu singen. Zehn Chor-Duette für Sopran- und Altstimme (5. Folge) ohne Begleitung, zum Gebrauch in höheren Töchterschulen und Gesangvereinen) no. 3, published 1881 [ sa chorus ], Leipzig: Fr. Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , subtitle: "September 4, 1850", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-04-10
Line count: 18
Word count: 98
Life is only a wandering, And we wander to and fro, And we hope, yearn, strive, And the goal is nothing more than a grave -- Only a grave for you, oh heart, For your joy and for your sorrow. Many beautiful things we had, The quiet happiness of blissful hours, Passed on like dreams and shadows, And only we remained behind, And thus little by little everything Passes away and we follow it. May everything then have gone From around us on our pathway, If only one thing remains here below: The consciousness of noble deeds; Then, oh death, it may be tomorrow, Peacefully, peacefully I await you.
Subtitle: "September 4, 1850"
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Heimgang" = "Passing on"
"Nur ein Wandern ist das Leben" = "Life is only a wandering"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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 August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798 - 1874), subtitle: "4. September 1850", written 1850, appears in Lyrische Gedichte, in Dichterleben, in Reifere Mannesjahre
This text was added to the website: 2025-04-11
Line count: 18
Word count: 108