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by Wang-Chang-Ling (698 - 765)
Translation by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946)

Die jungen Mädchen von einst
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Chinese (中文) 
Von einst die jungen Mädchen ruhen sich
In blühendem Gebüsch und plaudern leise.

„Man sagt”, so flüstern sie, „wir seien alt,
Und unsre Haare seien weiß geworden,
Und unsre Gesichter seien nicht 
Mehr süß und strahlend wie der junge Mond.
Was wissen wir davon? Kann man selber sich 
Denn [sehen]1? Freundinnen, nicht unter uns -- 
[Nein, in]2 in dem Spiegel herrscht der böse Winter,
Der weißen Schnee auf unsre Haare schüttet
[Und unsre Mienen alt erscheinen läßt]3.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   C. von Franckenstein 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Hans Bethge, Die chinesische Flöte, Insel Verlag, 1918, page 20.

1 Franckenstein: "sehn? Die also sprechen, tun es aus Schmähsucht."
2 Franckenstein: "Nur"
3 Franckenstein: "Nur in dem Spiegel herrscht der böse Winter!"

Text Authorship:

  • by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946), "Die jungen Mädchen von einst", appears in Die chinesische Flöte [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Chinese (中文) by Wang-Chang-Ling (698 - 765) [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Clemens von Franckenstein (1875 - 1942), "Die jungen Mädchen von einst", op. 44 (Fünf Gesänge aus der Chinesischen Flöte) no. 3, published 1921? [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Werner Wehrli (1892 - 1944), "Die jungen Mädchen von einst", op. 19 no. 2, copyright © 1998 [ women's chorus ], from Lieder der Vergänglichkeit, no. 2, Audite Nova [sung text not yet checked]

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

This text was added to the website: 2008-02-28
Line count: 11
Word count: 80

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