The old man’s sigh | Where did it go, ah, the lovely time?

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by Ottilie Kleinschrod, née Stieler (1830 - 1913), as Ottilie Stieler

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Des Greisen Seufzer

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Wo kam sie hin, ach, die schöne Zeit?
Einst war ich jung und voll Fröhlichkeit.
Jugendglück! Kehrst nie zurück!
Das quält mein graues Haupt, glückberaubt.

Einst war ich jung, und 'ne Maid war mein,
Schön, wie am Himmel der Sonnenschein.
Jugendzeit, voll' Seligkeit!
Schad', daß nie kehrt zurück je dein Glück!

Confirmed with O. Malybrok-Stieler, Lyrische Gedichte und Übertragungen nach böhmischer Kunst- und Volks-Poesie, Prag: Druck und Verlag von J. Otto, 1887, page 172.

Text Authorship:

by Ottilie Kleinschrod, née Stieler (1830 - 1913), as Ottilie Stieler, "Des Greisen Seufzer ", subtitle: "Kam jsou se ty časy poděly", appears in Lyrische Gedichte und Übertragungen nach böhmischer Kunst- und Volks-Poesie, in 2. Übertragungen , in Volkspoesie der Böhmen und Mährer [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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

by Emil Krause (1840 - 1916), "Des Greisen Seufzer", op. 63 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1888 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Hoffmann [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The old man’s sigh", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2022-02-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 51

The old man’s sigh

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Where did it go, ah, the lovely time?
Once I was young and full of merriment.
Happiness of youth! You never return!
That tortures my grey head, robbed of happiness.

Once I was young, and a maiden was mine,
As beautiful as the sunshine in the sky.
Time of youth, full of bliss!
'Tis a pity that your happiness never returns!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Ottilie Kleinschrod, née Stieler (1830 - 1913), as Ottilie Stieler, "Des Greisen Seufzer ", subtitle: "Kam jsou se ty časy poděly", appears in Lyrische Gedichte und Übertragungen nach böhmischer Kunst- und Volks-Poesie, in 2. Übertragungen , in Volkspoesie der Böhmen und Mährer
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2022-02-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 61