To thyself | Because I am mortal born

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by John H. Campbell

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):

ENG English (John H. Campbell) , "To thyself", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "A sé stesso", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

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

To thyself

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Because I am mortal born,
this life to wander through,
I did choose the path
that I already have traveled,
but not how much remains to me,
not how much to me remains,
how much still remains for me.
So now let me be, you worries,
nought have I to do with you!
Joking, laughing, dancing is what I want
with the beautiful God of the vines,
before death does surprise me.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by John H. Campbell, (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 Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "An sich selbst"
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

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

This text was added to the website: 2003-10-20
Line count: 12
Word count: 72