At a leave-taking | Oh leave-taking for an uncertain amount of time

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Bei einem Abschied

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG

O Abschiednehmen für ungewisse Zeit,
Voll von Ahnung verfehlter und schmerzlicher Lose!
Duftend welkt in der Hand die unwiederbringliche Rose,
Und das geängstigte Herz sucht Schlummer und Dunkelheit.
 
Aber oben unwandelbar stehen die Sterne,
Ihnen folgen wir immer, auch ungewollt,
Ihnen entgegen durch Licht und durch Dunkel rollt
Unser Schicksal, und ihnen gehorchen wir gerne.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, 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 273.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Bei einem Abschied", written 1920 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Otto Siegl (1896 - 1978), "Bei einem Abschied ", op. 76 no. 4, published 1932 [ soprano and four-part mixed chorus a cappella ], from Hermann Hesse Gesänge, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "En un comiat", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "At a leave-taking", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-06-13
Line count: 8
Word count: 55

At a leave‑taking

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Oh leave-taking for an uncertain amount of time,
Full of the premonition of lost and painful destinies!
Full of scent, the irretrievable rose wilts in my hand,
And the anxious heart seeks slumber and darkness.
 
But above, unchangeable, stand the stars;
We follow them always, even without our volition,
Through light and through darkness our fate
Rolls toward them, and we obey them gladly.

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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Bei einem Abschied", written 1920
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-29
Line count: 8
Word count: 64