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Strahlt vor dir im Humpen echter Wein, Laß dir rathen: schau zuvor hinein! Schaue: Wie sie blüh'n und glüh'n die duft'gen Fluthen! Wie sie sprüh'n so kühn die hellen Gluthen! Laß den Sinn im Dufte ganz versinken, Frühlingsrosen in dem Glanz dir winken! Schaue! Hast du so in Weines Grund geblickt, Sei der Humpen an den Mund gedrückt. Koste! Keusch wie Bienen erst an Rosen nippen, Küß den Becher du mit reinen Lippen; Sauge draus der Sonne Himmelskräfte, Sauge draus der Erde Blumensäfte! Koste! Und nun trinke, trink das duft'ge Naß, Und der Schenke schenke Glas auf Glas! Trinke! Daß im Blut du fühlst der Sonne Strahlen, In der Fluth wegspült der Erde Qualen, Daß die Geister, die in Reben leben, Immer dreister dich zum Leben heben: Trinke! Also wird in jedem Tropfen Wein Alle Fülle dieses Lebens dein. Lebe! Küß und juble! singe frische Weisen, Laß des Lebens Pulse voller kreisen, Schmück dein Haupt mit Rosen und mit Reben Und des Weines würdig sei dein Leben! Lebe!
Confirmed with Lieder von Robert Reinick, Maler, Sechste Auflage, Berlin: G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1873, pages 263-264.
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Reinick (1805 - 1852), "Trinker-Weisheit", subtitle: "Memento vivere!", appears in Lieder, in Gesellige Lust [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 Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Trinker-Weisheit", op. 367 (4 vierstimmige Männergesänge) no. 4, published 1870 [ vocal quartet for male voices ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arno Kleffel (1840 - 1913), "Trinker-Weisheit", op. 11 (Sechs Männerchöre) no. 4, published 1875 [ men's chorus ], Berlin, Erler [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Drinkers' wisdom", subtitle: "Remember to live!", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-05-09
Line count: 32
Word count: 168
When before you a beaker of true wine shines, Take my advice: gaze into it before [drinking]! Look: How the scented draught blossoms and glows! How the bright blaze sparkles so boldly! Let your senses utterly submerge themselves in the scent, Springtime roses beckon you in the radiance! Look! When you have gazed thus into the depths of the wine, Then may the beaker be pressed to your lips. Taste! Chastely, as bees first sip at roses, Kiss the beaker with pure lips; Suck from it the heavenly powers of the sun, Suck from it the flower-juices of the earth! Taste! And now drink, drink the scented wetness, And the waiter shall pour out glass after glass! Drink! So that you feel the sunbeams in your blood, So that the agonies of the world are washed away in the flood, That the spirits that live in the vines Ever more boldly enliven you: Drink! Thus in every drop of wine All the plenitude of life shall become yours. Live! Kiss and rejoice! sing new melodies, Let the pulse of life circulate more fully, Adorn your brow with roses and with vines And let your life be worthy of the wine! Live!
Subtitle: "Remember to live!"
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Robert Reinick (1805 - 1852), "Trinker-Weisheit", subtitle: "Memento vivere!", appears in Lieder, in Gesellige Lust
This text was added to the website: 2025-05-29
Line count: 32
Word count: 201