Nur ein Wandern ist das Leben
Language: German (Deutsch)
Nur ein Wandern ist das Leben,
Und wir wandern auf und ab,
Und wir hoffen, sehnen, streben,
Und das Ziel ist nur ein Grab --
Nur ein Grab für dich, o Herz,
Deine Freud' und deinen Schmerz.
Vieles Schöne was wir hatten,
Sel'ger Stunden stilles Glück,
Ging dahin wie Traum und Schatten,
Und wir blieben nur zurück.
Und so schwindet allgemach
Alles hin und wir ihm nach.
Mag dann Alles sein geschieden
Um uns her auf unserm Pfad,
Wenn uns Eins nur bleibt hienieden:
Das Bewußtsein edler That;
Dann, o Tod, mag's morgen sein,
Ruhig, ruhig harr' ich dein.
Confirmed with Hoffmann's von Fallersleben Gesammelte Werke, Herausgegeben von Dr. Heinrich Gerstenberg, Erster Band Lyrische Gedichte, Berlin: F. Fontane, 1890, page 138-139.
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):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , subtitle: "September 4, 1850", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2025-04-10
Line count: 18
Word count: 99
Life is only a wandering
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Life is only a wandering,
And we wander to and fro,
And we hope, yearn, strive,
And the goal is nothing more than a grave --
Only a grave for you, oh heart,
For your joy and for your sorrow.
Many beautiful things we had,
The quiet happiness of blissful hours,
Passed on like dreams and shadows,
And only we remained behind,
And thus little by little everything
Passes away and we follow it.
May everything then have gone
From around us on our pathway,
If only one thing remains here below:
The consciousness of noble deeds;
Then, oh death, it may be tomorrow,
Peacefully, peacefully I await you.
Subtitle: "September 4, 1850"
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Heimgang" = "Passing on"
"Nur ein Wandern ist das Leben" = "Life is only a wandering"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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: 2025-04-11
Line count: 18
Word count: 108