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Immer und immer fühl ich's, ob alt oder jung: Ein Gebirg in der Nacht, am Balkon ein schweigendes Weib, Eine weiße Straße im Mondschein mit sanftem Schwung, Das reißt mir vor Sehnsucht das bange Herz aus dem Leib. O brennende Welt, o weißes Weib am Balkon, Bellender Hund im Tal, fernrollende Eisenbahn, O wie loget ihr, o wie bitter betrogt ihr mich schon - Dennoch seid ihr noch immer mein süßester Traum und Wahn! Oft versucht ich den Weg in die schreckliche 'Wirklichkeit', Wo [Professor]1, Gesetz, Mode und Geldkurs gilt, Aber einsam entfloh ich immer, enttäuscht und befreit, Dort hinüber, wo Traum und liebliche Narrheit quillt. Schwüler Nachtwind im Baum, [schwarze]2 Zigeunerin, Welt voll törichter Sehnsucht und Dichterduft, Herrliche Welt, der ich ewig verfallen bin, Wo dein Wetterleuchten mir zuckt, wo deine Stimme mir ruft!
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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.
View original text (without footnotes)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 239.
1 Schneider: "Assessor"2 Schneider: "dunkle"
Text Authorship:
- by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "O brennende Welt", written 1917 [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 Christian Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "Herrliche Welt", op. 41 no. 4 [ high voice and piano ], from Wanderung - Eine Liederfolge für hohe Stimme nach Gedichten von Hermann Hesse, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2014-08-22
Line count: 16
Word count: 134
Ever and ever I feel it, whether old or young: A mountain range in the night, a silent woman at the balcony, A white street in the moonlight with a gentle sweep, That almost tears the heart from body for longing. Oh flaming world, oh white woman at the balcony, Barking dog in the valley, train rolling in the distance, Oh how you lied, oh how bitterly you have already deceived me - Nevertheless you are still my sweetest dream and illusion! Often I tried to take the way into the terrible ‘reality’, Where [professor,]1 law, fashions and exchange rates matter, But solitarily I always escaped, disappointed and freed, Over yonder, where dream and lovely folly well up. Humid night wind in the tree, [black]2 gypsy girl, World full of foolish longing and the scent of poets, Glorious world, to which I am eternally enslaved, Where you lightning-bolts flicker for me, where your voice calls me!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translation of titles:
"O brennende Welt" = "Oh flaming world"
"Herrliche Welt" = "Glorious world"
2 Schneider: "dark"
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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "O brennende Welt", written 1917
This text was added to the website: 2014-08-22
Line count: 16
Word count: 155