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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Genialisch treiben
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE ITA
So wälz ich ohne Unterlaß,
Wie Sankt Diogenes, mein Faß.
Bald ist es Ernst, bald ist es Spaß;
Bald ist es Lieb, bald ist es Haß;
Bald ist es dies, bald ist es das;
Es ist ein Nichts, und ist ein Was.
So wälz ich ohne Unterlaß,
Wie Sankt Diogenes, mein Faß.

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Genialisch treiben", appears in Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe, letzter Hand, Band III, in 5. Epigrammatisch [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Genialisch treiben" [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Genialisch treiben", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 21, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Tasca de geni", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Task of genius", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Occupation de génie", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Geniale darsi da fare", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 52

Occupation de génie
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Ainsi je roule sans arrêt
Comme saint Diogène mon tonneau.
Tantôt c'est sérieusement, tantôt c'est en plaisantant ;
Tantôt c'est l'amour, tantôt c'est la haine ;
Tantôt c'est ceci, tantôt c'est cela ;
C'est un rien, et c'est quelque chose.
Ainsi je roule sans arrêt
Comme saint Diogène mon tonneau.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Guy Laffaille, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Genialisch treiben", appears in Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe, letzter Hand, Band III, in 5. Epigrammatisch
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2014-11-07
Line count: 8
Word count: 47

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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