Prelude and motto | Many have tried, but in vain

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 Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843)

Translation © by Dr. Anthony Krupp

Viele versuchten umsonst

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Viele versuchten umsonst
das Freudigste freudig zu sagen,
Hier spricht endlich es mir,
hier in der Trauer sich aus.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843), "Sophokles", appears in Gedichte 1784-1800 [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 Hanns Eisler (1898 - 1962), "Vorspiel und Spruch", published 1962 [ baritone, string orchestra ], from Ernste Gesänge, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Wolfgang Nening (b. 1966), "Sophokles", 1991 [ mezzo-soprano and guitar or piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Dr. Anthony Krupp) , "Prelude and motto", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2005-02-20
Line count: 4
Word count: 19

Prelude and motto

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Many have tried, but in vain,
  With joy to express the most joyful;
    Here at last, in grave sadness,
      Wholly I find it expressed.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2005 by Dr. Anthony Krupp, (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), "Sophokles", appears in Gedichte 1784-1800
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2005-02-20
Line count: 4
Word count: 24