by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

O Mensch! Gib acht!
 (Sung text for setting by L. Foss)
 See original
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT FRE GRE ITA SAN
 ... 
O Mensch! Gib Acht!
 ... 
Was spricht, die tiefe Mitternacht?
 ... 
„Ich schlief, ich schlief --,
 ... 
„Aus tiefem Traum bin ich erwacht: --
 ... 
„Die Welt ist tief,
 ... 
„Und tiefer als der Tag gedacht.
 ... 
„Tief ist ihr Weh -,
 ... 
„Lust - tiefer noch als Herzeleid:
 ... 
„Weh spricht: Vergeh! 
 ... 
„Doch alle Lust will Ewigkeit -,
 ... 
„-- will tiefe, tiefe Ewigkeit!“
 ...

Note: the text above is taken from lines 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22 of the original text.

Composition:

    Set to music by Lukas Foss (b. 1922), "O Mensch! Gib acht!", 1959-60, published 1961, copyright © 1964, lines 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Time Cycle, no. 4, New York, Carl Fischer

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Thomas Common) , no title
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) (Holger Christian Teipel-Jahr) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "O uomo! Attento ascolta!", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SAN Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्) (Holger Christian Teipel-Jahr) , "एकम्।", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Holger Christian Teipel-Jahr

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 23
Word count: 67

Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
 ... 
Que dit minuit, la profonde ?
 ... 
Je me suis éveillé d'un rêve profond :
 ... 
Et plus profond que le jour ne l'a cru.
 ... 
Volupté, plus profonde que la peine du cœur :
 ... 
Pourtant toute volupté veut l'éternité,
 ...

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: the text above is taken from lines 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2009 by Guy Laffaille, (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:

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This text was added to the website: 2009-05-29
Line count: 23
Word count: 73