We practise a beautiful duty

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by Hermann Rollett (1819 - 1904)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wir üben eine schöne Pflicht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Wir üben eine schöne Pflicht,
  Wir Sänger jung und alt,
Dem Blumenduft, dem Sternenlicht
  Gibt unser Sang Gestalt.

Wir finden für den stillsten Traum 
  Das Wort als Deuterin,
Und was die Meisten ahnen kaum, --
  Uns liegt es klar im Sinn.

Was Tausenden das Herz umzieht 
  Als trüber Dämmerschein,
Wir singen es in einem Lied 
  Laut in die Welt hinein!

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Frische Lieder von Hermann Rollett, Zweite vermehrte Auflage, Ulm: Stettin'sche Verlags-Buchhandlung, 1850, page 112.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Rollett (1819 - 1904), "Die Sänger", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Friedliche Stimmen, first published 1846 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Otto Ladendorff , "Sangeskunst", op. 14 (3 Duette für Frauenstimmen mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1890 [ vocal duet for female voices with piano ], Berlin, Paez [sung text not yet checked]
by Felix Pfirstinger , "Sangeskunst", published 1902-5 [ men's chorus ], from Männerchöre, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Max Stange (1856 - 1932), "Sangeskunst", op. 55 (Gesänge), Heft 2 no. 3, published 1896 [ three-part chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Karl Zuschneid (1856 - 1926), "Sängerkunst", op. 5 (Drei Lieder für gemischten Chor) no. 3, published 1884 [ satb chorus ], Stuttgart: Zumsteeg [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2013-10-17
Line count: 12
Word count: 59

We practise a beautiful duty

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

We practise a beautiful duty,
  We singers young and old,
The scent of flowers, the starlight
  Are [both] given form by our singing.

For the quietest dream we find
  The word as an interpreter,
And that which most people hardly suspect, --
  For us is clear in our mind.

What wafts about the heart of thousands
  As a dim twilight glow,
In a single song we sing it 
  Loudly out into the world!

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Die Sänger" = "The singer"
"Sängerkunst" = "Singer's art"
"Sangeskunst" = "The art of singing"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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 Hermann Rollett (1819 - 1904), "Die Sänger", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Friedliche Stimmen, first published 1846
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-01-22
Line count: 12
Word count: 72