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by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs
Die Weise guter Zecher ist
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Azerbaijani (Azərbaycan dili)
Die Weise guter Zecher ist
[In]1 früh' und später Stunde,
Daß alter Wein im Becher ist,
Und neuer Witz im Munde --
Denn wo man Eins davon entbehrt,
Da ist das Andre auch nichts werth --
Das Eine steht zum Andern.
Je mehr wir uns vertieft im Wein,
Je höher steigt der Geist uns --
Der Bart der Weisheit trieft von Wein,
Die ganze Welt umkreis't uns,
Versunken ganz in Trunkenheit,
Und trunken in Versunkenheit,
In Wein, Gesang und Liebe!
Die Weisen beim Pokale stehn
Hoch über der Gemeinheit,
Wie Berge überm Thale stehn
In himmelhoher Reinheit --
Die Berge färbt des Himmels Licht,
Uns wiederstrahlt das Angesicht
Im Glanz der vollen Becher!
Sagt, was die Welt im Tausch uns giebt
Für unser lustig Leben!
Die Wonne, die ein Rausch uns giebt,
Wer mag uns Bess'res geben?
Nur Eins kenn' ich, das schöner ist:
Wenn du, Hafisa! bei mir bist,
Mit Küssen und mit Scherzen!
Und weil so kurz das Leben ist,
Muß stets der Weisen Ziel sein:
Des Glücks, das uns gegeben ist,
Kann nimmermehr zuviel sein!
Drum Kind, laß alle Skrupel sein
Und steig herab in unsre Reih'n,
Wie in's Gebirg die Sonne!
A. Rubinstein sets stanzas 1-3
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Die Lieder des Mirza-Schaffy mit einem Prolog von Friedrich Bodenstedt, Hundertfünfte Auflage, Berlin: R.v. Decker's Verlag Marquardt & Schenk, 1882, pages 37-38.
1 Bohn, Rubinstein: "Zu"; further changes may exist for Bohn's setting, not shown above.Text Authorship:
- by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Die Lieder des Mirza-Schaffy, in Lieder zum Lobe des Weines und irdischer Glückseligkeit, no. 3 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Azerbaijani (Azərbaycan dili) by Mirzə Şəfi Vazeh (1794 - 1852) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Emil Bohn , "Trinklied", op. 2 (Drei Lieder für Männerchor) no. 2, published 1876 [ men's chorus a cappella ], Breslau, Hainauer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig Hoffmann (1830 - 1870), "Trinklied", op. 34 (Zwei Gesänge für vierstimmigen Männerchor und Soli) no. 2, published 1892 [ four-part men's chorus ], Berlin, Simon [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich Karl Johann Hofmann (1842 - 1902), "Die weisen Zecher ", op. 20 (Sechs Männerquartette) no. 5, published 1874 [ vocal quartet for male voices ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Salomon Jadassohn (1831 - 1902), "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", op. 78 (Fünf Gesänge für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 5, published 1886 [ four-part men's chorus ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig Liebe (1819 - 1900), "Wein, Gesang und Liebe", op. 105 no. 2, published 1888 [ baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Bodenstedt-Liebe-Album, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Ludwig Amand Mangold (1813 - 1889), "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", op. 70 no. 1, published 1877 [ men's chorus and orchestra ], from cantata Die Weisheit des Mirza-Schaffy. Cantate für Sopran- und Bariton-Solo, Männerquartett, Männerchor und Orchester, no. 1, Schleusingen, Glaser [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Ludwig Amand Mangold (1813 - 1889), "Sagt, was die Welt im Tausch uns giebt", op. 70 no. 2, published 1877 [ vocal quartet for male voices, baritone, men's chorus, and orchestra ], from cantata Die Weisheit des Mirza-Schaffy. Cantate für Sopran- und Bariton-Solo, Männerquartett, Männerchor und Orchester, no. 2, Schleusingen, Glaser [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ottokar Mascha (b. 1852), "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", published 1873 [ men's chorus a cappella ], from Drei Lieder des Mirza Schaffy von Friedrich von Bodenstedt für Männerchor, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Reichelt , "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", op. 3 no. 2, published 1874 [ vocal quartet for male voices with piano ], from Lieder zum Lobe des Weines und irdischer Glückseligkeit. Ein Cyclus aus den Dichtungen des Mirza-Schaffy für Männerquartett (3--4 fach besetzt) mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, no. 2, Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Roth , "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", published 1888 [ voice and piano ], from Die Lieder des Mirza Schaffy. Operette. , no. 1, Hamburg, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", op. 34 no. 5 (1854), stanzas 1-3 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Lieder von Mirza-Schaffy, no. 5, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hans Michael Schletterer (1824 - 1893), "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", op. 26 (Fünf Lieder für Bass mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3 [ bass and piano ], Stuttgart, Ebner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Schulz-Weida (1830 - 1872), "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", op. 217 no. 7, published 1872 [ low voice and piano? ], from Mirza Schaffy. Trinklieder und Sprüche für 1 tiefere Stimme, no. 7, Berlin, Barth & Fritze [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Vollmer , "Die Weise guter Zecher ist", op. 2 no. 3, published 1879 [ bass and piano ], from Drei Lieder des Mirza-Schaffy zum Lobe des Weines und irdischer Glückseligkeit für Bass mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 3, Berlin, Challier & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) [an adaptation] ; composed by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , appears in Clair-obscur, first published 1954, copyright © 2016, (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: 2003-11-08
Line count: 35
Word count: 191
It is the custom of good carousers
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
It is the custom of good carousers,
In early and late hours,
To have old wine in the goblet,
And new wit in the mouth --
For where one of them is lacking,
The other is also not worth anything --
The one stands with the other.
The more we delve into wine
The higher our minds rise --
The beard of wisdom is dripping with wine,
The whole world circles about us,
Completely sunk in drunkenness,
And drunk in absorption,
In wine, song, and love!
The wise ones at their goblets stand
Far over the common herd,
As mountains stand above the valley
In sky-high purity --
The mountains are coloured by the light of the sky,
Our faces glow, reflecting
The radiance of the full goblets!
Tell me what the world could give us in exchange
For our merry life!
The bliss that an intoxication give us,
Who could give us anything better?
I only know of one thing that is more beautiful:
When you, Hafisa! are with me,
With kisses and with jesting!
And since life is so short,
The wise person's goal must always be:
The happiness that is given us,
Of that we can never have too much!
Therefore, child, leave off your scruples
And descend into our ranks,
As the sun descends into the mountains!
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Die Weise guter Zecher ist" = "It is the custom of good carousers"
"Die weisen Zecher " = "The wise carousers"
"Sagt, was die Welt im Tausch uns giebt" = "Tell me what the world gives us in exchange"
"Trinklied" = "Drinking song"
"Wein, Gesang und Liebe" = "Wine, song, and love"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 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 Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Die Lieder des Mirza-Schaffy, in Lieder zum Lobe des Weines und irdischer Glückseligkeit, no. 3
Based on:
- a text in Azerbaijani (Azərbaycan dili) by Mirzə Şəfi Vazeh (1794 - 1852) [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2024-06-26
Line count: 35
Word count: 217