Allégories | Mon amour est un bateau paisible

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

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.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Gleichnisse

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Meine Liebe ist ein stilles Boot,
Das mit träumerischen Ruderschlägen,
Einer dunklen Brandung treibt entgegen.

Meine Liebe ist ein jähes Licht,
Das durch schwarze, schwüle Nächte bricht
Und unselig wie ein Blitz verloht.

Meine Liebe ist ein krankes Kind,
Das bei Nacht in seinem Bette sinnt;
Und am Rand des Bettes steht der Tod.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, page 103.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Gleichnisse", written 1901 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Georg Meerwein (b. 1932), "Gleichnisse", 1957 [ baritone and piano ], from Drei Gedichte von Hermann Hesse, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Xaver Zintl (1903 - 1987), "Gleichnisse", 1949 [ baritone and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Semblances", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Parables", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Allégories", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-05-24
Line count: 9
Word count: 54

Allégories

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

Mon amour est un bateau paisible
Que de rêveurs coups de rames
Poussent au devant d'un sombre ressac.

Mon amour est une lumière soudaine,
Qui éclate dans les nuits noires et lourdes
Et, funeste, expire comme un éclair.

Mon amour est un enfant malade
Qui songe la nuit dans son lit ;
Et au bord du lit se tient la mort.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Gleichnisse", written 1901
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-12-21
Line count: 9
Word count: 60