Language: English
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stand as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time, to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like stars at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
...
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-5,7 of the original text.
Composition:
Set to music by Richard Stöhr (1874 - 1967), "Leisure", op. 104a no. 5 (1944), published 2015, stanzas 1-5,7 [ voice and piano ], unpublished; manuscript at Saint Michael's College Archives and available in scanned form at the Petrucci Music Library
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , "Muße", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 107
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Was soll'n die Mühen dieser Welt,
wenn uns die Zeit zum Staunen fehlt?
Die Zeit zum unter Bäumen stehn,
wie Kuh und Schaf das Land besehn.
Die Zeit zu spähn, am Waldessaum,
nach Eichhorns Nüssen unterm Baum.
Die Zeit, bei Tag zu sehn die Pracht
des Stroms voll Sterne, wie bei Nacht.
Die Zeit, zum Blick der Schönen drehn
und ihre Füße tanzen sehn.
...
Wie arm das Leben auf der Welt,
wenn uns die Zeit zum Staunen fehlt!
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-5,7 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
Based on:
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2010-03-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 92
