Admonition | You must guard your joy with care

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by F. Dersens

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Mahnung

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Sorgsam mußt dein Glück du hüten,
Trag' es nicht der Welt zur Schau;
Für die zarten Herzensblüthen
Ist die Welt zu kalt, zu rauh.
 
Jeder, der noch Blumen streute,
Daß die Welt sich dran entzückt,
Sah sie bald -- des Sturmes Beute --
Todtgetreten und zerpflückt.
 
Glück und Kranz sind leicht zerrissen --
Weißt du nicht, wie Menschen sind?
Keiner, keiner darf es wissen,
Daß du glücklich bist, mein Kind!

Confirmed with Fliegende Blätter, 106. Band (1897), Nro. 2699, page 156

Text Authorship:

by F. Dersens , "Mahnung" [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 Berta Bock (1857 - 1945), "Mahnung", op. 5 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1900 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig: Fritz Schuberth Jr. [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Admonition", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-11
Line count: 12
Word count: 67

Admonition

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

You must guard your joy with care,
Do not put it on display for the world;
For the heart’s delicate blossoms,
The world is too cold, too coarse.
 
Everyone who has ever strewn flowers
In order that the world might rejoice therein,
Soon saw them -- the storm’s spoils --
Trampled to death and plucked to pieces.
 
Joy and wreaths are easily torn --
Do you not know what people are like?
No one, no one must know
That you are happy, my child!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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 F. Dersens , "Mahnung"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-11
Line count: 12
Word count: 81