Is my heart not sacred, full of finer life

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by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Ist nicht heilig mein Herz, schöneren...

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG ENG FRE

Ist nicht heilig mein Herz, schöneren Lebens voll,
  Seit ich liebe? Warum achtetet ihr mich mehr,
    Da ich stolzer und wilder,
      Wortereicher und leerer war?

Ach! der Menge gefällt, was auf den Markplatz taugt,
  Und es ehret der Knecht nur den Gewaltsamen;
    An das Göttliche glauben
      Die allein, die es selber sind.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843), "Menschenbeifall" [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Menschenbeifall", op. 61 no. 1, published 1963, from Sechs Hölderlin-Fragmente, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Paul von Klenau (1883 - 1946), "Ist nicht heilig mein Herz", 1942 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernst-Lothar von Knorr (1896 - 1973), "Menschenbeifall", 1952 [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Wetz (1875 - 1935), "Menschenbeifall", op. 27 (Vier Lieder und Gesänge für mittlere Stimme mit Klavierbegleitung) no. 1, published 1911 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig: Fr. Kistner [sung text not yet checked]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , no title, copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
ENG English [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "Public's applause", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , no title, copyright © 2014, (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: 8
Word count: 52

Is my heart not sacred, full of finer...

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Is my heart not sacred, full of finer life,
now that I love? Why did you regard me more
when I was prouder and more truculent,
when I was more wordy and more vain?

Ah, only what is good for the marketplace can please people;
the servant respects only an oppressive master.
To believe in the divine
one must be divine in one's own right.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Menschenbeifall" = "The approval of others"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770 - 1843), "Menschenbeifall"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 65