Ich bin zuweilen wie ein wilder Mann, Der Götter höhnt und laute Nächte lang Mit rohen Kameraden zechen kann Und dem schon mancher scharfe Witz gelang. Ich bin zuweilen wie ein schwaches Kind, Das ohne Schuld krank wurde und verdarb, Und dessen Lächeln ungeboren starb, Und dessen Träume voll von Engeln sind.
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 106-107.
Text Authorship:
- by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Sonderling", written 1901 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Walter Steffens (b. 1934), "Sonderling" [ four-part men's chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Misfit", copyright © 2018, (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: 2009-06-13
Line count: 8
Word count: 52