by
Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Mensch, verspotte nicht den Teufel
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): FRE
Mensch, verspotte nicht den Teufel,
Kurz ist ja die Lebensbahn,
Und die ewige Verdammnis
Ist kein bloßer Pöbelwahn.
Mensch, bezahle deine Schulden,
Lang ist ja die Lebensbahn,
Und du mußt noch manchmal borgen,
Wie du es so oft getan.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Buch der Lieder von Heinrich Heine, Berlin, A. Warschauers Verlag, 1827, page 102. Note: it is number 38 in this edition,
but 36 in later editions.
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 Ina Bottelier (b. 1943), "Mensch", 1987, published 1989 [ soprano, piano (or harpsichord), and contrabass (or cello) ], from Gedanken zu Die Heimkehr, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Mensch, verspotte nicht den Teufel", published 1851, from Die Heimkehr : 88 Gedichte aus H. Heine's Reisebildern, no. 36 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Homme, ne te moque pas du diable", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-02-22
Line count: 8
Word count: 39
Homme, ne te moque pas du diable
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch)
Homme, ne te moque pas du diable,
La route de la vie est bien courte,
Et une damnation éternelle
N'est pas une simple illusion populaire.
Homme, paie tes dettes,
La route de la vie est bien longue,
Et tu devras encore parfois emprunter,
Comme tu l'as si souvent fait.
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2009 by Pierre Mathé, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2009-04-01
Line count: 8
Word count: 49