Wenn mich der fernen Kindertage,
Gedächtnis plötzlich überfällt,
Das ist wie einer alten Sage
Von Dichtersang verklärte Welt.
Dann muss ich still die Augen senken,
Und jener hellen, hellen Zeit,
Beklommen und wie einer denken,
Der eine schwere Schuld bereut.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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 61.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Now and then", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2014-10-21
Line count: 8
Word count: 40
When the memory of far-off days
Of childhood suddenly assails me,
That is like the world of an old legend,
Transfigured by poets’ songs.
Then I must silently lower my eyes,
And think of that bright, bright time --
Oppressed and like someone
Who repents of a great transgression.