Lilac | Now I know, despite everything, that it is spring again

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by Karl Kraus (1874 - 1936)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Nun weiß ich doch, 's ist Frühling...

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Nun weiß ich doch, 's ist Frühling wieder.
Ich sah es nicht vor so viel Nacht
und lange hatt' ich's nicht gedacht.
Nun merk' ich erst, schon blüht der Flieder.

Wie fand ich das Geheimnis wieder?
Man hatte mich darum gebracht.
Was hat die Welt aus uns gemacht!
Ich dreh' mich um, da blüht der Flieder.

Und danke Gott, er schuf mich wieder,
indem er wiederschuf die Pracht.
Sie anzuschauen aufgewacht,
so bleib' ich stehn. Noch blüht der Flieder.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• H. Eisler

H. Eisler sets stanzas 1-2

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Confirmed with Karl Kraus, Ausgewählte Gedichte, München: Verlag der Schriften von Karl Kraus (Kurt Wolff), 1920, page 20.

Text Authorship:

by Karl Kraus (1874 - 1936), "Flieder", appears in Worte in Versen, first published 1919 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-06
Line count: 12
Word count: 80

Lilac

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

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Now I know, despite everything, that it is spring again.
I did not see it for so much night
and for a long time I did not think it.
Now I notice for the first time, the lilac is already blooming.

How did I find the secret again?
I had been robbed of it.
What has the world made of us!
I turn around -- there blooms the lilac.

And I thank God; He created me anew,
as He created again all the splendour.
Awakened to gaze upon it once more,
I remain standing.  The lilac still blooms.

View text with all available footnotes
Eisler's title: "German spring"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2011 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 Karl Kraus (1874 - 1936), "Flieder", appears in Worte in Versen, first published 1919
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2011-04-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 98