Gossamer threads | Back and forth, gossamer threads

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by Karl August Candidus (1817 - 1872)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Sommerfäden

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

Sommerfäden hin und wieder
Fliegen von den Himmeln nieder;
Sind der Menschen Hirngespinste,
Fetzen goldner Liebesträume,
An die Stauden, an die Bäume
Haben sie sich dort verfangen;
Hochselbsteigene Gewinste
Sehen wir darunter hangen.

Text Authorship:

by Karl August Candidus (1817 - 1872), "Sommerfäden", appears in Vermischte Gedichte, first published 1869 [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Sommerfäden", op. 72 (Fünf Gesänge) no. 2 (1876), published 1877 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Fils de teranyina", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Herfstdraden", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Gossamer threads", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Fils de la Vierge", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 33

Gossamer threads

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Back and forth, gossamer threads 
fly down from heaven;
They are the fantasies of people,
Scraps of golden love-dreams.
On the bushes, on the trees
They have caught themselves there;
Ambitious winnings
We see hanging below.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Karl August Candidus (1817 - 1872), "Sommerfäden", appears in Vermischte Gedichte, first published 1869
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 36