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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Das Leben ist ein schlechter Spaß
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Das Leben ist ein schlechter Spaß,
Dem fehlt's an Dies, dem fehlt's an Das,
Der will nicht wenig, der zuviel,
Und Kann und Glück kommt auch ins Spiel.
Und hat sich's Unglück drein gelegt,
Jeder, wie er nicht wollte, trägt.
Bis endlich Erben mit Behagen
Herrn Kannicht-Willnicht weiter tragen.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, 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 Otto Klemperer (1885 - 1973), "Das Leben ist ein schlechter Spaß" [
     text not verified 
    ]

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title unknown, copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-04-04
Line count: 8
Word count: 49

La vie est une mauvaise plaisanterie
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
La vie est une mauvaise plaisanterie :
L'un manque de ceci, l'autre manque de cela,
L'un ne veut pas peu, l'autre pas trop,
Et le savoir et le bonheur viennent aussi dans le jeu.
Et si le malheur arrive aussi,
Chacun supporte comme il ne voulait pas.
Jusqu'à ce qu'enfin les héritiers avec plaisir
Emportent plus loin Monsieur "Je ne sais pas-Je ne veux pas".

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Guy Laffaille, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in West-östlicher Divan, in 4. Buch der Betrachtungen -- Tefkir Nameh
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2011-01-12
Line count: 8
Word count: 64

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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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