Celui qui sait | Les gens nous aiment, et malheureux

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by Franz Viktor Werfel (1890 - 1945)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Der Erkennende

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Menschen lieben uns, und unbeglückt
Stehn sie auf vom Tisch, um uns zu weinen.
Doch wir sitzen übers Tuch gebückt
Und sind kalt und können sie verneinen.

Was uns liebt, wie stoßen wir es fort
Und uns Kalte kann kein Gram erweichen.
Was wir lieben, das entrafft ein Ort [Wort],
Es wird hart und nicht mehr zu erreichen.

Und das Wort, das waltet, heißt: Allein,
Wenn wir machtlos zu einander brennen.
Eines weiß ich: nie und nichts wird mein.
Mein Besitz allein, das zu erkennen.

Text Authorship:

by Franz Viktor Werfel (1890 - 1945) [author's text not yet checked 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 Alma Mahler (1879 - 1964), "Der Erkennende", 1915, published 1924, from Fünf Gesänge, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Recognition", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Celui qui sait", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Colui che sa", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 85

Celui qui sait

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Les gens nous aiment, et malheureux
Sont debout à la table, autour de nous pour pleurer.
Mais nous sommes assis penchés sur la nappe
Et nous restons froids et nous pouvons refuser.

Ce qui nous aime, comme nous le repoussons,
Et le froid ne peut nous adoucir aucune peine.
Ce que nous aimons, qu'un mot enlève,
Cela devient difficile et n'est plus accessible.

Et le mot, qui règne, signifie : Seul,
Quand nous sommes impuissants à brûler l'un pour l'autre.
Je sais une chose : au grand jamais elle ne sera à moi.
Mon unique bien c'est de le reconnaître.

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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Franz Viktor Werfel (1890 - 1945)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-05-16
Line count: 12
Word count: 98