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by Johann Christoph Wannovius (1753 - 1814)
Translation © by Lau Kanen

Das Leben
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE
Das Leben ist ein Traum,
Man merkt, man fühlt [ihn]1 kaum;
Denn schnell wie Wolken ziehn,
Ist dieser Traum dahin.

Wohl dem! der gut geträumt,
Wohl dem! des Saat hier keimt
Zur Erndte für die Zeit
der Unvergänglichkeit.

Das Leben ist der Blick
Auf einer Zukunft Glück,
Das jeder haben kann,
Der hier es wohlgethan.

Wohl dem! der nach der Nacht
Des Grabes froh erwacht,
Den nicht die Stimme schreckt,
Die aus dem Schlummer weckt.

Wer bei der Arbeit Schluß
Die Rechnung fürchten muß,
Hat wahrlich keinen Blick
Auf einer Zukunft Glück.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   H. Behling 

H. Behling sets stanzas 1, 2, 4

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Poetische Blumenlese der preussischen Staaten für 1789. Gesammlet von Kausch. Breslau, bei Ioh. Fried. Korn, dem Aeltern, pages 111-112.

1 Behling: "es"

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Christoph Wannovius (1753 - 1814), "Das Leben", first published 1789 [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 Heinrich Behling (1793 - 1854), "Das Leben", published c1840, stanzas 1,2,4 [ voice, piano ], Vier Lieder für eine Bariton-Stimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte. Reval: Kluge [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Das Leben", D 269 (1815), published 1849, two versions (vocal trio TTB; vocal trio SSA with piano) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La vida", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Het leven is een droom", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Life is a dream", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La vie est un rêve", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 93

Het leven is een droom
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Het leven is een droom,
Men voelt slechts zacht zijn zoom;
Want snel als 'n wolkenrij
Is deze droom voorbij.

Hij boft, wiens droom ontbloeit,
Hij boft, wiens zaad uitgroeit
Tot vruchten voor de tijd
Der onvergank'lijkheid.

Het leven toont een stuk
Van een aanstaand geluk,
Dat ieder krijgen kan
Die hier heeft welgedaan.

Hij boft, die na de nacht
Van 't graf de dag verwacht,
Die zonder schrik ontwaakt
Als 'n stem hem wakker maakt.

Wie na zijn levenstaak
Beducht is voor zijn zaak,
Die maakt terecht zich druk
Om zijn postuum geluk.

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2010 by Lau Kanen, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.

    Lau Kanen.  Contact: boudewijnkanen (AT) gmail (DOT) com


    If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to: licenses@email.lieder.example.net


Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Christoph Wannovius (1753 - 1814), "Das Leben", first published 1789
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2010-12-23
Line count: 20
Word count: 94

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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