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Gross ist das Leben und reich! Ewige Götter schenkten es uns, lächelnder Güte voll, uns den Sterblichen, Freudegeschaffenen. Aber arm ist des Menschen Herz! Schnell verzagt, vergisst es der reifenden Früchte. Immer wieder mit leeren Händen sitzt der Bettler an staubiger Strasse, drauf das Glück mit den tönenden Rädern leuchtend [vorbeifuhr]1.
Confirmed with Meine Verse. Gesammtausgabe, Dritte Auflage, Berlin: S. Fischer Verlag, 1906, page 236.
1 Marx: "vorüber fuhr"Text Authorship:
- by Otto Erich Hartleben (1864 - 1905), "Gesang des Lebens", written 1898, appears in Meine Verse 1883-1904, appears in Diogenes, Szenen einer Komödie in Versen [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 Joseph Marx (1882 - 1964), "Gesang des Lebens", 1909, published 1912 [ medium voice, piano ], in Lieder und Gesänge, II. Folge, Nr.23 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hans Sommer (1837 - 1922), "Gesang des Lebens", op. 35 no. 3 [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El cant de la vida", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The song of life", subtitle: "From Diogenes", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le chant de la vie", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-06-08
Line count: 10
Word count: 53
La vie est grande et riche ! Des dieux éternels nous l'ont offerte, Pleine de radieux bienfaits À nous, les mortels, voués à la joie. Mais le cœur de l'homme est misérable ! Vite découragé, il n'attend pas que les fruits mûrissent. Il revient toujours les mains vides S'asseoir, le mendiant, dans la rue poussiéreuse Où le bonheur aux roues grondantes Passe devant lui avec éclat.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2012 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Otto Erich Hartleben (1864 - 1905), "Gesang des Lebens", written 1898, appears in Meine Verse 1883-1904, appears in Diogenes, Szenen einer Komödie in Versen
This text was added to the website: 2012-07-09
Line count: 10
Word count: 64