Nonobstant ces misères, l'homme veut être heureux, et ne veut être qu'heureux, et ne peut ne vouloir pas l'être; mais comment s'y prendra-t-il? Il faudrait, pour bien faire, qu'il se rendît immortel; mais, ne le pouvant, il s'est avisé de s'empêcher d'y penser.
About the headline (FAQ)
Note: the line-breaks are arbitrary. This is prose.Authorship:
- by Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662), no title, appears in Pensées, first published 1670 [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, adapted by W. F. Trotter , no title GER ; composed by Hanns Eisler.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Heinrich F. S. Bachmair)
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-20
Line count: 5
Word count: 43
Trotz dem Elend wünscht der Mensch glücklich zu sein, und er wünscht nur, glücklich zu sein, und kann nicht wünschen, es nicht zu sein. Aber wie wird er es schaffen? Um glücklich zu sein, müßte er unsterblich werden. Aber da er dies nicht kann, verdrängt er den Gedanken an seinen Tod.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Kritischer Bericht, Hanns Eisler Lieder für eine Singstimme und Klavier, vorgelegt von Manfred Grabs, Leipzig: Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1988, page 231
Note: the line-breaks are arbitrary. This is prose.Authorship:
- by Heinrich F. S. Bachmair (1889 - 1960) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662), no title, appears in Pensées, first published 1670
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2016-09-16
Line count: 5
Word count: 51