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Es destilliert aus Studien und Gedanken Vielvieler Jahre spät ein alter Mann Sein Alterswerk, in dessen krause Ranken Er spielend manche süße Weisheit spann. Hinstürmt voll Glut ein eifriger Student, Der sich in Büchereinen und Archiven Viel umgetan und den der Ehrgeiz brennt, Ein Jugendwerk voll genialischer Tiefen. Es sitzt und bläst ein Knabe in den Halm, Er füllt mit Atem farbige Seifenblasen, Und jede prunkt und lobpreist wie ein Psalm, All seine Seele gibt er hin im Blasen. Und alle drei, Greis, Knabe und Student, Erschaffen aus dem Maya-Schaum der Welten Zaubrische Träume, die an sich nichts gelten, In welchen aber lächelnd sich erkennt Das ewige Licht, und freudiger entbrennt.
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 336.
Text Authorship:
- by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Seifenblasen", written 1937 [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 Hans-Hermann Kurig (1914 - 2002), "Seifenblasen" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Bombolles de sabó", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Soap bubbles", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-05-20
Line count: 17
Word count: 111
At long last, an old man distills from the researches And thoughts of many, many years His late work, in the curly vines of which He playfully spun many a sweet wisdom. A diligent student, full of fervour, who has delved about Considerably in book shops and archives, And who burns with ambition, stormily Produces a youthful work full of genial depths. A young lad sits and blows upon a blade of grass, With his breath he fills colourful soap bubbles, And every one is as resplendent and full of praise as a psalm, And he pours forth his whole soul in blowing. And all three, aged man, young lad and student From the Maya-foam of the worlds create Magical dreams, which in and of themselves are nothing, In which, however, smilingly the eternal light Recognizes itself and flares up more joyfully.
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), "Seifenblasen", written 1937
This text was added to the website: 2018-05-15
Line count: 17
Word count: 142