Drunk | Hafiz, you are drunk

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by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946)

Translation © by Laura Prichard

Betrunken

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Persian (Farsi)

Our translations: ENG HEB LIT

Hafis, du bist betrunken
Ich sehs an deinem Schatten,
An diesem Taumelschatten,
Der sich so toll gebärdet,
Als käm er aus dem Tollhaus!

Ei, welch verrückter Schatten
Im allzu hellen Mondschein!
Das fuchtelt und das biegt sich
Und stolpert hin und reckt sich
Aufwärts und nach den Seiten, -
Ei, welch grotesker Schatten,
Welch indiskreter Mondschein!

Nie hab ichs glauben wollen,
Wenn scheltend mich Suleima
Beschwor, ich sei betrunken, -
Jetzt muß ichs wahrlich glauben:
Ich bin ein würdeloser,
Ein aller Anmut barer,
Ein ganz betrunkner Trinker
Mit einem Taumelschatten
Im indiskreten Mondschein!

Text Authorship:

by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Persian (Farsi) by Hafis (c1327 - 1390) [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Viktor Ullmann (1898 - 1944), "Betrunken", op. 30 no. 2 [ bass and piano ], from Liederbuch des Hafis, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Drunk", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
HEB Hebrew (עברית) (Ehud Shapiro) , "שתוי", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , "Girtas", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Regina Berlinghof

This text was added to the website: 2003-12-06
Line count: 21
Word count: 91

Drunk

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

"Hafiz, you are drunk
I can see from your shadow,
From this frenzied shadow,
Which behaves as madly,
As if it came from the madhouse!

Oh, what a crazy shadow
In [this] all too bright moonlight!
It waves about and bends itself
And stumbles and reaches
Upwards and sideways, -
Oh, what a grotesque shadow,
What indiscreet moonlight!"

I never wanted to believe it,
When Suleima scolded me
Swearing, I was drunk, -
Now I must really believe her:
I am undignified,
Devoid of grace,
A totally drunk drinker
With a frenzied shadow
Under the indiscreet moonlight!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2015 by Laura Prichard, (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 Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946)
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Persian (Farsi) by Hafis (c1327 - 1390) [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-12-29
Line count: 21
Word count: 95