Little Song | Rainbow poem

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Kleiner Gesang

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG

Regenbogengedicht,
Zauber aus sterbendem Licht,
Glück wie Musik zerronnen,
Schmerz im Madonnengesicht,
Daseins bittere Wonnen...

Blüten vom Sturm gefegt,
Kränze auf Gräber gelegt,
Heiterkeit ohne Dauer,
Stern, der ins Dunkel fällt:
Schleier von Schönheit und Trauer
Über dem Abgrund der Welt.

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 398.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Kleiner Gesang", written 1962 [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 Wolfgang Nening (b. 1966), "Kleiner Gesang", 2004/5 [ medium voice and piano ], from 4 Lieder nach Texten von Hermann Hesse, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Karl Heinz Taubert (1912 - 1990), "Kleiner Gesang", 1962 [ voice and piano ], text begins "Daseins bittere Wonnen" [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Petit cant", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Little Song", copyright © 2018, (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: 2009-06-14
Line count: 11
Word count: 41

Little Song

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Rainbow poem,
Enchantment from out of the dying light,
Happiness that trickled away like music,
Pain in the face of the Madonna,
The bitter blisses of being...

Blossoms swept by the storm,
Wreaths laid upon graves,
Merriment without permanence,
Star that falls into darkness:
Veils of beauty and mourning
Over the abyss of the world.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 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), "Kleiner Gesang", written 1962
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-01-24
Line count: 11
Word count: 55