by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wenn die trüben Tage grauen
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Wenn die trüben Tage grauen,
Kalt und feindlich blickt die Welt,
Findet scheu sich dein Vertrauen,
Ganz auf dich allein gestellt.

Aber in dich selbst verwiesen
Aus der alten Freuden Land,
Siehst du neuen Paradiesen,
Deinen Glauben zugewandt.

Als dein Eigenstes erkennst du,
Was dir fremd und feind erschien,
Und mit neuen Namen nennst du
Dein Geschick und und nimmst es hin.

Was dich zu erdrücken drohte,
Zeigt sich freundlich, atmet Geist,
Ist ein Führer, ist ein Bote,
Der dich hoch und höher weist.

About the headline (FAQ)

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 233-234.


Text Authorship:

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

  • by Christine Triacca-Kalisch (1887 - 1969), "Schicksalstag", <<1939 [ baritone and piano ], from Zwei Lieder, no. 1, note: the title is as shown according to Georg Günther's Hesse-Vertonungen. Verzeichnis der Drucke und Handschriften, Deutsche Schillergesellschaft, Marbach, 2004, page 457  [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2019, (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: 2009-06-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 84

When the dreary days dawn
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
When the dreary days dawn,
The world gazes cold and filled with enmity,
Then your trust timidly finds itself
Left to your care alone.

But directed into yourself
From out of the land of old joys,
You see your faith turned
Toward new paradises.

As most surely your own, you recognize
That which seemed to you foreign and hostile,
And you give your fate a new name
And accept it.

That which threatened to overwhelm you,
Shows itself to be friendly, breathes spirit,
Is a leader, is a messenger
That directs you upward and ever higher upward.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of title(s):
"Schicksalstage" = "Fateful days"
"Schicksalstag" = "Fateful day"


Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2019 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.
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Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2019-05-30
Line count: 16
Word count: 97