Es reden und träumen die Menschen [viel]1
Von [bessern künftigen]2 Tagen,
Nach einem glücklichen goldenen Ziel
Sieht man sie rennen und jagen.
Die Welt wird alt und [wird]3 wieder jung,
Doch der Mensch hofft immer Verbesserung!

Die Hoffnung führt ihn ins Leben ein,
Sie umflattert den fröhlichen Knaben,
Den Jüngling [begeistert]4 ihr Zauberschein,
Sie wird mit dem Greis nicht begraben,
Denn beschließt er im Grabe den müden Lauf,
Noch am Grabe pflanzt er - die Hoffnung auf.

Es ist kein [leerer]5 schmeichelnder Wahn,
Erzeugt im Gehirne des Thoren.
Im Herzen kündet es laut sich an,
Zu was besserm sind wir gebohren,
Und was die innere Stimme spricht,
Das täuscht die hoffende Seele nicht.

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View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Friederich Schiller, Erster Theil, Leipzig, 1800, bey Siegfried Lebrecht Crusius, page 205; and with Die Horen, Jahrgang 1797, Zehntes Stück. Tübingen in der J.G. Cottaischen Buchhandlung 1797, page 107.

¹ Lachner: "so viel"
² Lachner: "besser'n und künftigen"
³ omitted by Schubert in D. 251; omitted by La Trobe
⁴ Schubert (D. 251, Alte Gesamtausgabe): "lockt"
⁵ Schubert (D. 637): "leerer, kein"

Authorship:

• by Friedrich von Schiller (1759 - 1805), "Hoffnung", written 1797, first published 1797 [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 Johannes Doebber (1866 - 1921), "Hoffnung", op. 7 (Vier Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Harmonium oder Orgel) no. 4, published 1889 [ medium voice and harmonium or organ ], Berlin, Simon [sung text not yet checked]
• by Joh. W. Merkens van Gendt , "Die Hoffnung", op. 18 (Drei Gedichte von Schiller, 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1874 [ voice and piano ], Haag, Boshart [sung text not yet checked]
• by Karl Friedrich Ludwig Hellwig (1773 - 1838), "Hoffnung", 1805 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Armin Knab (1881 - 1951), "Hoffnung" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Conradin Kreutzer (1780 - 1849), "Hoffnung", op. 32 no. 3, KWV 9104 no. 3, published [1818], Augsburg, Gombart [sung text not yet checked]
• by Nikolaus, Freiherr von Krufft (1779 - 1818), "Die Hoffnung", c1814, published 1870, from Zwölf Lieder, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Johann Friedrich Bonneval de La Trobe (1769 - 1845), "Hoffnung", from Zwölf deutsche Lieder, no. 10 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Paul Lachner (1803 - 1890), "Hoffnung", op. 54 (Sechs deutsche Gesänge), Heft 1 no. 1, published 1837 [ alto or baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Klemm [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Hoffnung", published 1798 [ voice and piano ], from Wiegenlieder für gute deutsche Mütter, no. 20, Leipzig: Gerhard Fleischer der Jüngern [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Hoffnung", D 251 (1815), published 1872 [ voice, piano ], first setting [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Hoffnung", op. 87 (Drei Lieder) no. 2, D 637 (1819?), published 1827 [ voice, piano ], second setting [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Friedrich Ludwig Seidel (1765 - 1831), "Hoffnung" [ voice and piano ], in Almanach fürs Theater (Iffland), 1809 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Friedrich Siewert , "Hoffnung", published 1880 [ four-part men's chorus ], from Fünf Lieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor, no. 3, Berlin, Paez [sung text not yet checked]
• by Carl Steinacker (1785 - 1815), "Die Hoffnung", op. 11 no. 2, published 1811 [ vocal quartet for male voices ], from Sieben Gesänge für vier Männerstimmen, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Wenzel Heinrich Veit (1806 - 1864), "Hoffnung", op. 12 (Sechs Gesänge für vier Männerstimmen) no. 1, published 1840 [ vocal quartet for male voices ], Leipzig, Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Hoop", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Hope", copyright ©
• FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Toivo", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Espoir", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Speranza", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 113

Parlano e sognano tanto gli uomini
di migliori giorni futuri,
verso una felice, splendida meta
si vedono correre e andare in cerca.
Il mondo invecchia, e ridiventa giovane,
ma l'uomo, l'uomo spera sempre in qualcosa di meglio.

La speranza ci guida nella vita,
illude il lieto fanciullo,
la sua magia incanta il giovane,
e non viene sepolta dal vecchio:
quando l'uomo conclude il suo stanco cammino nella tomba,
fino sulla tomba, sulla tomba coltiva la speranza.

Non c'è follia più lieve, più soave,
di quella che nasce nella mente degli stolti,
e parla forte al cuore, e dice:
"Siamo nati per qualcosa di meglio",
ma ciò che dice questa voce interna,
non inganna, non inganna l'anima che spera.