My little finger writes a poem

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Fingerlein schreibt ein Gedicht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT CHI ENG

Fingerlein schreibt ein Gedicht,
Magnolie bleich schaut zum Fenster herein,
Im Glas funkelt dunkel der Abendwein,
Spiegelt der Geliebten Haar und Gesicht.

Sommernacht hat ihre dünnen Sterne verstreut,
Jugendgedächtnis duftet im mondhellen Laub . . .
Bald, mein Fingerlein, sind wir Moder und Staub,
Übermorgen - morgen - vielleicht noch heut.

About the headline (FAQ)

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, page 308.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Sommerabend", written 1927 [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 Hartmut Goes , "Fingerlein schreibt ein Gedicht", 1935 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Hermann Ruck (1897 - 1983), "Sommerabend", op. 112 (Sechs Lieder) no. 4 (1948) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Christian Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "Sommerabend ", op. 42a no. 9 (1977) [ medium voice and piano ], from Stufen - Hesse-Lieder 1977 für mittlere Singstimme, no. 9 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
CHI Chinese (中文) (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-06-23
Line count: 8
Word count: 49

My little finger writes a poem

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

My little finger writes a poem,
The magnolia palely gazes in at the window,
The evening wine sparkles darkly in the glass,
Reflecting the hair and face of my beloved.

The summer night has scattered its thin stars,
The [lovely] scents of the thoughts of youth waft in the moon-bright foliage . . .
Soon, my little finger, we shall fall into decay and become dust,
The day after tomorrow - tomorrow - perhaps even yet today.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translated titles:
"Sommerabend" = "Summer evening"
"Fingerlein schreibt ein Gedicht" = "My little finger writes a poem"

Text 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Sommerabend", written 1927
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2014-06-23
Line count: 8
Word count: 75