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Die Sonne spricht: Was gehn dich meine Blicke an? Das ist der Sonne gutes Recht, Sie strahlt auf den Herrn wie auf den Knecht; Ich strahle, weil ich nicht anders kann. Was gehn dich meine Blicke an? Bedenke, was deine Pflichten sind, Nimm dir ein Weib und mach ein Kind, Und sei ein deutscher Biedermann. Ich strahle, weil ich nicht anders kann, Ich wandle am Himmel wohl auf, wohl ab, Aus Langeweile guck ich hinab - Was gehn dich meine Blicke an? Der Dichter spricht: Das ist ja eben meine Tugend, Daß ich ertrage deinen Blick, Das Licht der ewgen Seelenjugend, Blendende Schönheit, Flammenglück! Jetzt aber fühl ich ein Ermatten Der Sehkraft, und es sinken nieder, Wie schwarze Flöre, nächtge Schatten Auf meine armen Augenlider ... Chor der Affen: Wir Affen, wir Affen, Wir glotzen und gaffen Die Sonne an, Weil sie es doch nicht wehren kann. Chor der Frösche: Im Wasser, im Wasser, Da ist es noch nasser Als auf der Erde, Und ohne Beschwerde Erquicken Wir uns an den Sonnenblicken. Chor der Maulwürfe: Was doch die Leute Unsinn schwatzen Von Strahlen und von Sonnenblicken! Wir fühlen nur ein warmes Jücken, Und pflegen uns alsdann zu kratzen. Ein Glühwurm spricht: Wie sich die Sonne wichtig macht, Mit ihrer kurzen Tagespracht! So unbescheiden zeig ich mich nicht, Und bin doch auch ein großes Licht, In der Nacht, in der Nacht!
Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Aus einem Briefe", appears in Neue Gedichte, in Romanzen, no. 5 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Don Forsythe (1932 - 2015), "Aus einem Briefe", 2008, published c2008 [ high voice and piano; vocal trio; vocal quartet; vocal duet ], from Romanzen, no. 5, stanzas 1-5,9 for high voice and piano; stanza 6 (Chor der Affen) for three voices in treble clef; stanza 7 (Chor der Frösche) for vocal quartet in bass clef; stanza 8 (Chor der Maulwürfe) for 2 voices in treble clef [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "From a letter", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-11-04
Line count: 45
Word count: 230
The sun says: What do my glances concern you? It is the sun's right, It shines upon the lord as upon the knave; I shine, because I cannot do otherwise. What do my glances concern you? Think well, what your duties are, Take a wife and make a child, And be an upright German citizen. I shine, because I cannot do otherwise, I travel across the heavens upward, downward, Out of boredom I look down - What do my glances concern you? The poet says: That is precisely my virtue, That I can sustain your gaze, The light of eternal youthfulness of the soul, Blinding beauty, flaming joy! But now I feel a decline In my power of sight, and night-dark shadows Like black gauze sink down Upon my poor eyelids . . . Chorus of the monkeys: We monkeys, we monkeys, We goggle and gawk At the sun, Because it cannot do anything about it. Chorus of the frogs: In the water, in the water, There it is still wetter Than it is on earth, And without any hardship We refresh ourselves Upon the glimpses of sunlight. Chorus of the moles: What nonsense people chatter About beams and glimpses of sunlight! We only feel a warm itching And thereupon, as is our wont, we scratch ourselves. A glow-worm says: How facetious the sun is With its short day of splendor! I do not exhibit such presumption And yet I, too, am a great light In the night, in the night!
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2014 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 Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Aus einem Briefe", appears in Neue Gedichte, in Romanzen, no. 5
This text was added to the website: 2014-03-11
Line count: 45
Word count: 251