Godly is and eternal the Spirit

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Schwer ist sein Weg, Sünde und Tod seine Speise

(Sung text for setting by A. Piechler)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG

 ... 
Schwer ist sein Weg, Sünde und Tod seine Speise,
Oft verirrt er ins Finstre, oft wär ihm
Besser, niemals erschaffen zu sein.
Ewig aber strahlt über ihm seine Sehnsucht,
Seine Bestimmung: das Licht, der Geist.
 ...

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Note: the text above is taken from lines 20-24 of the original text.

Composition:

Arthur Piechler

Vom Baum des Lebens (Besinnung) - Kantate für Sopran, Alt, vierstimmigen Männerchor und Orchester

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Besinnung", written 1933

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website: 2009-05-21
Line count: 32
Word count: 193

Godly is and eternal the Spirit

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Piechler)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

 ... 
Arduous is mankind’s way; sin and death are his sustenance,
Often he goes astray into the darkness, often it would be
Better for him, never to have been created.
But always his yearning casts its beams over him,
His destiny: the light, the Spirit.
 ...

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Note: the text above is taken from lines 20-24 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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), "Besinnung", written 1933
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This text was added to the website: 2016-09-29
Line count: 32
Word count: 233