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Jugend, du schöner Traum? 1 Nächtelang, die Stirn in heißer Hand, Bin ich über Büchern wach gesessen. Was ich suchte, fand ich nicht; und was ich fand, Hab ich seither jahrelang vergessen. Nächtelang mit heiß entbranntem Mund War ich dann Gespiele schöner Frauen, Und der Liebe Rätsel ward mir kund, Reich an loher Lust und reich an Grauen. Nächtelang versonnen und allein Sitz ich nun und fühle mich versinken In die wirre Nacht von Rausch und Wein, Deren Lichter mir wie Geister winken. Weisheit, der ich lange nachgejagt, Worte, Lieder fühl ich in mir reifen Und ich laß sie still und ungesagt In die blauen Dämmerungen schweifen.
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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., 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.
View original text (without footnotes)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 65.
1 This motto is not included in the version published in the 2002 Die Gedichte volume.Authorship:
- by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), no title, written 1901, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Irrwege, in Der Trinker, no. 3, first published 1911 [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 Rudolf Brömel (b. 1877), "Nächtelang", published 1945-8 [ voice and piano ], from Hermann Hesse Lieder, no. 23 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Xaver Zintl (1903 - 1987), "Nächtelang, die Stirn in heißer Hand", <<1950 [ voice and piano ], from Der Trinker, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Jeunesse, joli rêve ?", copyright © 2013, (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: 2009-05-01
Line count: 17
Word count: 108
Youth, you lovely dream? 1 Night after night, my brow in my hot hands, I sat wakeful over my books. What I sought, I did not find, and what I found I have since forgotten for years. Night after night with fervently burning lips I was then the playfellow of beautiful women, And love’s enigmas were revealed to me, Rich in blazing passion and rich in horror. Night after night pensive and alone I now sit and feel myself sink down Into the tumultuous night of intoxication and wine, Whose lights beckon to me like spirits. Wisdom, which I long pursued, Words, poems, I feel ripening within me And, silent and unsaid, I let them Drift off into blue twilights.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translations of title(s):
"Nächtelang, die Stirn in heißer Hand" = "Night after night, my brow in my hot hands"
"Nächtelang" = "Night after night"
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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), no title, written 1901, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Irrwege, in Der Trinker, no. 3, first published 1911
This text was added to the website: 2019-03-18
Line count: 17
Word count: 121