You who float upward beyond the stars

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by (Christian) Friedrich Hebbel (1813 - 1863)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Gebet

(Sung text for setting by H. Brückler)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Die du über die Sterne weg
  Mit der geleerten Schale
Aufsteigst, um sie aus ewigem Borne
  Eiligst wieder zu füllen:
Einmal schwenke sie noch, o Glück,
  Einmal, lächelnde Göttin!
Sieh, ein einziger Tropfen hängt
  Noch verloren am Rande,
Und der einzige Tropfen genügt,
  Eine himmlische Seele,
Die hier unten in Schmerz erstarrt,
  Wieder in Wonne zu lösen.
Ach! sie weint dir süßern Dank,
  Als die andern alle,
Die du glücklich und reich gemacht;
  Laß ihn fallen, den Tropfen!

Composition:

Hugo Brückler

Text Authorship:

by (Christian) Friedrich Hebbel (1813 - 1863), "Gebet", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Vermischte Gedichte

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Jakob Kellner , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 84

Prayer

(Sung text translation for setting by H. Brückler)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

You who rise upward beyond the stars
  With the emptied bowl,
In order to fill it anew with great haste:
  from the eternal wellspring,
Shake it just once more, oh Fortune,
  Once more, smiling goddess!
Lo, a single droplet still hangs
  Lost along the rim.
And that single droplet suffices
  To release one heavenly soul,
Which down here is frozen in anguish,
  To release it once more into joy.
Ah, it shall weep sweeter gratitude to you
  Than all the other souls
Whom you have made happy and wealthy;
  Let it fall, the droplet!

Translations of title(s):
"Gebet an die Glücksgöttin" = "Prayer to the goddess of good fortune"
"Gebet" = "Prayer"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2017 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 (Christian) Friedrich Hebbel (1813 - 1863), "Gebet", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Vermischte Gedichte
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This text was added to the website: 2017-02-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 96