Even that which is great must die | That is not true! it has never yet died

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by Hans Heinrich Ehrler (1872 - 1951)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Das ist nicht wahr! es ist noch nie...

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Das ist nicht wahr! es ist noch nie gestorben,
Nie Zeichenhaftes spurlos je verdorben.
Die Heiligen und Weisen sind geblieben,
Der Helden Halsperg klingt von Sagenhieben.

Der Kaiser Heinrich, ein Namenspatron,
Durchreitet Zeiten am Bamberger Dom.
Und Sokrates trank den Schielingswein
In Platons goldnen Becher hinein.
O zwischen zwei Schächern hängend schrie
Der Herr den Tod darnieder aufs Knie!

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Hans Heinrich Ehrler, Gesicht und Antlitz: Neue Gedichte, Gotha: Leopold Klotz Verlag, 1928, page 68.

Text Authorship:

by Hans Heinrich Ehrler (1872 - 1951), ""Auch das Große muß sterben"", appears in Gesicht und Antlitz: Neue Gedichte [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 Hermann Reutter (1900 - 1985), "Auch das Große muss sterben", op. 64 no. 7, from Ehrler-Zyklus I, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Even that which is great must die", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2022-09-23
Line count: 10
Word count: 59

Even that which is great must die

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

That is not true! it has never yet died,
Never has what was emblematic ever perished without a trace.
The saints and wise ones have remained,
The heroes' gorgets resound with the blows of legends. 

The emperor Henry, a patron saint,
Rides through the ages on the Bamberg cathedral.
And Socrates drank the hemlock
Into Plato's golden goblet.
Oh, hanging between two thieves the Lord
Forced death to its knees with a cry.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hans Heinrich Ehrler (1872 - 1951), ""Auch das Große muß sterben"", appears in Gesicht und Antlitz: Neue Gedichte
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2022-10-03
Line count: 10
Word count: 73