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Dir liegt auf Stirne, Mund und Hand Der feine, zärtlich helle Lenz, Der holde Zauber, den ich fand Auf alten Bildern zu Florenz. Du lebtest schon einmal vorzeit, Du wunderschöne Maigestalt, Als Flora im beblümten Kleid Hat Botticelli dich gemalt. Auch bist du jene, deren Gruß Den jungen Dante übermannt, Und unbewußt ist deinem Fuß Der Weg durchs Paradies bekannt.
About the headline (FAQ)
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 68.
Authorship
- by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), no title, written 1900, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Buch der Liebe, in Elisabeth, no. 1 [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 Richard Czelinski (1901 - 1969), "Dir liegt auf Stirne, Mund und Hand", op. 5 no. 1 (1926). [voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Erwin Hauff (1894 - 1960), "Dir liegt auf Stirne, Mund und Hand", 1955-7, published 1960. [voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ferdinand Carl Jungwirth , "Dir liegt auf Stirne, Mund und Hand", 1950 [medium voice, 2 violins, and violoncello], from Elisabeth - Drei Gedichte von Hermann Hesse, no. 1. [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wilhelm Lache , "Dir liegt auf Stirne, Mund und Hand", 1956 [voice and piano], from Elisabeth, no. 1. [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Christian) Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "Dir liegt auf Stirne, Mund und Hand", 1980. [voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Xaver Zintl (1903 - 1987), "Dir liegt auf Stirne, Mund und Hand", 1950 [baritone and piano], from Elisabeth - Liederzyklus für Bariton und Klavier, no. 1. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Upon your brow, lips, and hand lies", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-04-30
Line count: 12
Word count: 60
Upon your brow, lips, and hand lies The delicate, tenderly bright springtime, The lovely magic that I found On old paintings in Florence. You already lived once in bygone times, You wondrously beautiful figure of May, As Flora in a flowered dress Botticelli painted you. You are also the one whose greeting Overpowered the young Dante, And unconsciously your foot knows The way through Paradise.
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:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), no title, written 1900, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Buch der Liebe, in Elisabeth, no. 1
This text was added to the website: 2018-03-10
Line count: 12
Word count: 65