Was lachst du so? | Was lachst du so? Mich schmerzt der gelle Ton

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Was lachst du so?

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Was lachst du so? Mich schmerzt der gelle Ton.
In Ernst und Frieden laß, und ohne Hohn,
Uns auseinandergehen -- willst du nicht?
Ich möchte noch einmal dein Angesicht
Im alten Zauber sehn und möchte mich
Der Zeit erinnern, die so rasch verblich
Und die so träumeselig, leicht und froh
Und liebetrunken war -- was lachst du so?

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Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, page 491.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Was lachst du so?", written 1901 [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 Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Was lachst du so?", op. 24b no. 5 (1906), published 1917 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder nach Gedichten von Spitteler, Gamper, Hesse und Keller, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Harry Joelson

This text was added to the website: 2009-06-09
Line count: 8
Word count: 56