An sich selbst | Weil ich sterblich bin geboren

by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE)

Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Εις εαυτον

Language: Greek (Ελληνικά)

Our translations: ENG

Ἐπειδὴ βροτὸσ ἐτύχθην
βιότου τρίβον ὁβεύειν,
χρόνον ἔγνων, δν παρῆλθον,
δν δ ̓ ἔχω δραμεῖν, οὐχ οἴδα.
Μέθετ ̓ οὔν με φροντίδεσ δή,
μηδε’ν μοι χαὶ ὑμῖν ἔστω.
Πρὶν ἐμὲ φθάσῃ τὸ τέλοσ,
παίξω, γελάσω, χορεύσω,
μετὰτοῦ χαλοῦ Λυαίου.

See also Ronsard's Imitation d'Anacreon.

Show a transliteration: DIN | ISO 843

Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE), "Εις εαυτον", appears in Odes, no. 24 [author's text not yet checked 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 Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Εις εαυτον", 1815?, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in French (Français), a translation by Rémy Belleau (1527/8 - 1577) , "De vivre gayement" ; composed by Jacques-Michel Zoubaloff.
- Go to the text.
Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "An sich selbst" ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Go to the text.

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

ENG English (Lawrence Sisk) , "On himself", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Ernest Falconnet) , "Sur lui-même", first published 1847

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 9
Word count: 39

Weil ich sterblich bin geboren

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Greek (Ελληνικά)

Our translations: ENG ITA

Weil ich sterblich bin geboren,
Um den Lebensweg zu wandern:
Kann ich zwar die Bahn bestimmen,
Die ich schon durchlaufen habe,
Aber nicht, wieviel mir übrig.
Nun so laßt mich denn, ihr Sorgen,
Nichts hab' ich mit euch zu schaffen!
Scherzen, lachen, tanzen will ich
Mit dem schönen Gott der Reben,
Eh' der Tod mich überraschet.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Anakreons Gedichte, nebst zwey andern anakreontischen Gedichten, und den Oden der Sappho. Aus dem Griechischen in die Versarten des Originals übersetzt, Leipzig, bey Weidmanns Erben und Reich, 1776, page 55.

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, "An sich selbst" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE), "Εις εαυτον", appears in Odes, no. 24
- Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Auf sich selbst", 1815?, also set in Greek (Ελληνικά) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-10-20
Line count: 10
Word count: 56