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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Abends
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
Abends gehn die Liebespaare
Langsam durch das Feld,
Frauen lösen ihre Haare,
Händler zählen Geld,
Bürger lesen bang das Neuste
In dem Abendblatt,
Kinder ballen kleine Fäuste,
Schlafen tief und satt.
Jeder tut das einzig Wahre,
Folgt erhabner Pflicht,
Säugling, Bürger, Liebespaare --
Und ich selber nicht?
 
Doch! Auch meiner Abendtaten,
Deren Sklav' ich bin,
Kann der Weltgeist nicht entraten,
Sie auch haben Sinn.
Und so geh ich auf und nieder,
Tanze innerlich,
Summe dumme Gassenlieder,
Lobe Gott und mich,
Trinke Wein und phantasiere,
Daß ich Pascha wär,
Fühle Sorgen an der Niere,
Lächle, trinke mehr,
Sage ja zu meinem Herzen
(Morgens geht es nicht),
Spinne aus vergangenen Schmerzen
Spielend ein Gedicht,
Sehe Mond und Sterne kreisen,
Ahne ihren Sinn,
Fühle mich mit ihnen reisen
Einerlei wohin.

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, pages 248-249.


Text Authorship:

  • by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Abends", written 1918 [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 Hermann Grabner (1886 - 1969), "Abends", 1950/1 [ voice and piano ], from Acht Hermann Hesse-Lieder, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Arno Knapp (1913 - 1957), "Abends" [ baritone and piano ], from 3 Lieder für Bariton nach Texten von Hermann Hesse, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Ernst Ludwig Meyer-Olbersleben (1898 - 1991), "Abends", 1953 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Wilhelm Österreicher (b. 1906), "Abends", published 1953 [ unaccompanied voice ], from Drei Gesänge nach Texten von Hermann Hesse für eine Stimme allein, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hermann Schmidt-Teich , "Abends", 1935-6 [ tenor and orchestra ], from Sechs Gedichte von Hermann Hesse für Tenorstimme mit Orchesterbegleitung, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Christian Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "Abends", op. 41 no. 10 [ high voice and piano ], from Wanderung - Eine Liederfolge für hohe Stimme nach Gedichten von Hermann Hesse, no. 10 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Abends", op. 44 (Zehn Lieder nach Gedichten von Hermann Hesse) no. 4 (1929), published 1931 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by (Carl Theodor) Oskar Ulmer (1883 - 1966), "Abends", op. 42 (Drei Abendlieder) no. 2 (1941) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Al vespre", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "In the evening", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le soir", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 126

Le soir
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Le soir les couples d'amoureux
Passent lentement dans le champ,
Les femmes défont leurs cheveux,
Les commerçants comptent leur argent,
Les bourgeois inquiets lisent la dernière nouvelle
Dans le journal du soir,
Les enfants serrent leurs petits poings,
Et repus dorment profondément.
Chacun se conforme à la seule vérité,
Observe le sublime devoir,
Nourrisson, bourgeois, couple d'amoureux –
Et pas moi ?

Si ! De mes activités du soir,
Dont je suis esclave,
Le monde ne peut se passer,
Elles aussi ont un sens.
Ainsi, je vais et viens,
Danse intérieurement,
Fredonne les stupides chansons des rues,
Loue Dieu et moi-même,
Bois du vin et rêve
Que je suis un pacha,
Je me fais de la bile,
Souris, bois encore,
Réponds oui à mon  cœur,
(Le matin c'est impossible),
Délire sur d'anciennes peines
En jouant un poème,
Regarde tourner la lune et les étoiles,
Pressens leur sens,
Me sens voyager avec elles,
Peu importe où.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2017 by Pierre Mathé, (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), "Abends", written 1918
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2017-10-19
Line count: 32
Word count: 153

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