From my childhood | From my childhood

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Aus der Kindheit her

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Aus der Kindheit her
Weht ein Klang mir nach,
Der mir einst die Seligkeit versprach --
Ohne ihn wär Leben viel zu schwer.
Tönt sein Zauber nicht,
Steh ich ohne Licht,
Sehe Angst und Dunkel rings umher.
Aber immer wieder durch das Leid,
Das ich mir erwarb,
Klingt der süße Ton voll Seligkeit,
Den kein Weh und keine Schuld verdarb.
Liebe Stimme du,
Licht in meinem Haus,
Lösche niemals wieder aus,
Tu die blauen Augen niemals zu!
Sonst verliert die Welt
Allen holden Schein,
Stern um Sternlein fällt,
Und ich steh allein.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Bauer

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, 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.

View text with all available footnotes

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, page 253.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Aus der Kindheit her", written 1918 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-04-29
Line count: 19
Word count: 92

From my childhood

NOTE: the footnotes have been removed from this text; return to general view

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

From my childhood
A sound wafts after me,
A sound that once promised me happiness --
Without it, living would be far too hard.
When its magic does not sound,
I am left without light,
I see fear and darkness all around me.
But ever again through the suffering,
Which I acquired for myself,
The sweet tone full of bliss rings out,
The tone that no pain and no guilt has spoiled.
You dear voice,
Light in my house,
Never again let yourself be extinguished,
Never close your blue eyes!
Else the world shall lose
All its lovely radiance,
Star upon star would fall,
And I would stand alone.

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Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Aus der Kindheit her", written 1918
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2018-02-28
Line count: 19
Word count: 109