by
Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
A young man's exhortation
Language: English
Available translation(s): GER
Call off your eyes from care
By some determined deftness; put forth joys
Dear as excess without the core that cloys,
And charm Life's lourings fair.
Exalt and crown the hour
That girdles us, and fill it with glee,
Blind glee, excelling aught could ever be,
Were heedfulness in power.
Send up such touching strains
That limitless recruits from Fancy's pack
Shall rush upon your tongue, and tender back
All that your soul contains.
For what do we know best?
That a fresh love-leaf crumpled soon will dry,
And that men moment after moment die,
Of all scope dispossest.
If I have seen one thing
It is the passing preciousness of dreams;
That aspects are within us; and who seems
Most kingly is the King.
Confirmed with Thomas Hardy, Late Lyrics and Earlier with Many Other Verses, London: MacMillan and Co., Limited, 1922, pages 81-82.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Sharon Krebs) , "Mahnrede eines jungen Mannes", copyright © 2022, (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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 126
Mahnrede eines jungen Mannes
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Rufe deine Augen weg von Sorge
Durch irgendeine beherzte Gewandheit; bringe Freuden hervor,
So teuer wie Überfluss ohne den anwidernden Kern,
Und zauberisch verwandle des Lebens Finsternisse in Heiterkeit.
Verherrliche und kröne die Stunde
Die uns umschließt, und fülle sie mit Fröhlichkeit,
Mit blinder Fröhlichkeit, die alles übertrifft, was immer sein könnte,
Wäre Vorsicht an der Macht.
Schicke solche rührenden Klänge empor,
Dass unzählige Rekruten aus der Armee der Fantasie
Geschwind auf deine Zunge losstürmen, und dir
Alles zurückzahlen, was deine Seele enthält.
Denn was wissen wir am besten?
Dass ein frisches Liebesblatt, zerknittert, bald austrocknet,
Und dass Augenblick für Augenblick Menschen sterben,
Aller Möglichkeit enteignet.
Wenn ich Eines erkannt habe,
Dann ist es die flüchtige Kostbarkeit der Träume;
Innerlich sind wir vielseitig; und wer
Am königlichsten scheint, ist König.
Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2022 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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This text was added to the website: 2022-09-05
Line count: 20
Word count: 131