Whistling | Piano and violin, which I truly value

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Pfeifen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG

Klavier und Geige, die ich wahrlich schätze,
Ich konnte mich mit ihnen kaum befassen; 
Mir hat bis jetzt des Lebens rasche Hetze
Nur zu der Kunst des Pfeifens Zeit gelassen. 

Zwar darf ich mich noch keinen Meister nennen,
Lang ist die Kunst und kurz ist unser Leben. 
Doch alle, die des Pfeifens Kunst nicht kennen, 
Bedaure ich. Mir hat sie viel gegeben. 

Drum hab ich längst mir innigst vorgenommen,
In dieser Kunst von Grad zu Grad zu reifen,
Und hoffe endlich noch dahin zu kommen, 
Auf mich, auf euch, auf alle Welt zu pfeifen.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• L. Gromann

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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 291.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Pfeifen", written 1927, appears in Verse im Krankenbett, no. 2 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: John Versmoren , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 96

Whistling

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

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Piano and violin, which I truly value,
I could hardly occupy myself with them;
Up to now, the rapid hustle of life has only
Left me time for the art of whistling.

To be sure, I may not yet call myself a master,
Art is long, and our life is short.
But I am sorry for all who do not yet know
The art of whistling. It has given me much.

Therefore I have long resolved
To mature in this art from degree to degree,
And hope finally yet to get to the point of
Whistling at myself, at you, and at the whole world.

View text with all available footnotes
³ The above is a literal translation. Hesse is, however, using an idiom here. "Auf jemanden zu pfeifen" means not to give a d*** about them.

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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Pfeifen", written 1927, appears in Verse im Krankenbett, no. 2
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general view

This text was added to the website: 2018-08-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 108