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Da ich in Jugendnot und Scham Zu dir mit leiser Bitte kam, Hast du gelacht Und hast aus meiner Liebe Ein Spiel gemacht. Nun bist du müde und spielst nicht mehr, Mit dunklen Augen blickst du her Aus deiner Not, Und willst die Liebe haben, Die ich dir damals bot. Ach, die ist lang verglommen Und kann nicht wiederkommen - Einst war sie dein! Nun kennt sie keine Namen mehr Und will alleine sein.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 154-155.
Text Authorship:
- by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Zu spät", written 1909/10, appears in Unterwegs, first published 1911 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Ernst Beckert , "Zu spät", 1948-9 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Massa tard", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Too late", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Trop tard", copyright © 2013, (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: 2009-04-30
Line count: 15
Word count: 73
Quand dans la détresse de la jeunesse et la honte Je suis allé à toi avec une douce prière, Tu as ri Et de mon amour, Tu as fait un jeu. Maintenant tu es lasse et ne joues plus, Tu regardes ici avec tes yeux assombris par le chagrin, Et tu veux avoir l'amour Que naguère je te proposais. Hélas, il est depuis longtemps éteint Et ne peut plus revenir -- Un jour il fut à toi ! Maintenant il ne connaît plus de nom Et veut être seul.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2013 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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Zu spät", written 1909/10, appears in Unterwegs, first published 1911
This text was added to the website: 2013-03-09
Line count: 15
Word count: 87