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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Höre den Rat, den die Leier tönt
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Höre den Rat, den die Leier tönt,
doch er nutzet nur, wenn du fähig bist.
Das glücklichste Wort, es wird verhöhnt,
wenn der Hörer ein Schiefohr ist.

"Was tönt denn die Leier?" Sie tönet laut:
Die schönste, das ist nicht die beste Braut;
doch wenn wir dich unter uns zählen sollen,
so mußt du das Schönste, das Beste wollen.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Buch der Betrachtungen", written 1814, appears in West-östlicher Divan, in 4. Buch der Betrachtungen -- Tefkir Nameh [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 Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Höre den Rat, den die Leier tönt", op. 19b no. 4b (1915), from Lieder aus dem Westöstlichen Diwan von Goethe, no. 4b [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this page: Caroline Diehl

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 59

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