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by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Diotima
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Du schweigst und duldest, denn sie verstehn dich nicht,
  Du edles Leben! siehest zur Erd' und schweigst
    Am schönen Tag, denn ach! umsonst nur
      Suchst du die Deinen im Sonnenlichte,

Die Königlichen, welche, wie Brüder doch,
  Wie eines Hains gesellige Gipfel sonst
    Der Lieb' und Heimat sich und ihres
      Immerumfangenden Himmels freuten,

Des Ursprungs noch in tönender Brust gedenk;
  Die Dankbarn, sie, sie mein' ich, die einzigtreu
    Bis in den Tartarus hinab die Freude
      Brachten, die Freien, die Göttermenschen,

Die zärtlichgroßen Seelen, die nimmer sind;
  Denn sie beweint, so lange das Trauerjahr
    Schon dauert, von den vor'gen Sternen
      Täglich gemahnet, das Herz noch immer

Und diese Totenklage, sie ruht nicht aus.
  Die Zeit doch heilt. Die Himmlischen sind jetzt stark,
    Sind schnell. Nimmt denn nicht schon ihr altes
      Freudiges Recht die Natur sich wieder?

Sieh! eh noch unser Hügel, o Liebe, sinkt,
  Geschiehts, und ja! noch siehet mein sterblich Lied
    Den Tag, der, Diotima! nächst den
      Göttern mit Helden dich nennt, und dir gleicht.

Confirmed with Friedrich Hölderlin, Sämtliche Gedichte und Hyperion, Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, 1999, page 251.


Text Authorship:

  • by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843), "Diotima", appears in Gedichte 1800-1804, in Oden [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 Franz Alfons Wolpert (1917 - 1978), "Diotima", 1943 [sung text not yet checked]

Set in a modified version by Hans Erich Apostel.

    • Go to the text. [ view differences ] ENG

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Diotima", copyright © 2019, (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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 164

Diotima
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
You are silent and suffer it, for they do not understand you,
  You noble life! you look down and fall silent
    On the beautiful day, for ah! only in vain
      Do you seek your own in the sunlight,

The noble ones, who, like brethren nevertheless,
  As the comradely treetops of a grove once
    Rejoiced in love and homeland and
      Their ever-embracing sky,

In their resounding breast still recalling the origin;
  The grateful ones, they, them I mean, who alone faithful
    Brought joy all the way down into Tartarus,
      The free ones, the god-people,

The tenderly great souls, who no longer exist;
  For over them yet weeps, as long the year of mourning
    Already endures, daily reminded by
      The former stars, the heart,

And this dirge, it does not rest.
  But time heals. The heavenly ones are now strong,
    Are quick. Does Nature not once more 
      Seize her old joyful due?

See, ere yet our hill, oh love, sinks,
  It shall happen, and yea! my mortal song shall still see
    The day, Diotima! that calls your name next to those of the gods
      And those of heroes, and that is like you.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2019 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 Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843), "Diotima", appears in Gedichte 1800-1804, in Oden
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2019-03-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 191

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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