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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Laßet Gelehrte sich zanken und streiten
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE ITA
Laßet Gelehrte sich zanken und streiten,
Streng und bedächtig die Lehrer auch sein!
Alle die Weisesten aller der Zeiten 
Lächeln und winken und stimmen mit ein:
Töricht, auf Beßrung der Toren zu harren!
Kinder der Klugheit, o habet die Narren
Eben zum Narren auch, wie sich's gehört!

Merlin der Alte, im leuchtenden Grabe,
Wo ich als Jüngling gesprochen ihn habe,
Hat mich mit ähnlicher Antwort belehrt:
Töricht, auf Beßrung der Toren zu harren!
Kinder der Klugheit, o habet die Narren
Eben zum Narren auch, wie sich's gehört!

Und auf den Höhen der indischen Lüfte
Und in den Tiefen ägyptischer Grüfte
Hab ich das heilige Wort nur gehört:
Töricht, auf Beßrung der Toren zu harren!
Kinder der Klugheit, o habet die Narren
Eben zum Narren auch, wie sich's gehört!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   M. Bruch 

M. Bruch sets stanzas 1, 3

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Cophtisches Lied", written 1799 [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 Max Bruch (1838 - 1920), "Kophtisches Lied", op. 59 (Fünf Lieder) no. 2 (1892), published 1892, stanzas 1,3 [ baritone and piano ], Brüssel, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Thomas Christian David (1925 - 2006), "Kophtisches Lied", 1986 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Harald Genzmer (1909 - 2007), "Kophtisches Lied", 1940-87, from Acht Lieder nach verschiedenen Dichtern [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Leo Grill (1846 - 1919?), "Cophtisches Lied", op. 6 no. 2, published 1874 [ baritone or low tenor and piano ], from Gesellige Lieder von W. Göthe, für Bariton oder tiefen Tenor mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Cophtisches Lied", 1962 [ SMezATTB chorus a cappella ], from Lieder, Oden und Szenen, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Cophtisches Lied I", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 14, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Let the learned men squabble and bicker", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Chanson copte", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Canzone copta I", copyright © 2012, (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: 19
Word count: 128

Canzone copta I
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Lasciate che i dotti discutano litigando,
che siano riflessivi e severi gli insegnanti!
Ma i più saggi in ogni tempo
si mostrano sempre allegri e concilianti:
Sperare che lo stolto migliori è follia!
Chi nasce intelligente, si prenda gioco di loro,
proprio come conviene che sia!

Il vecchio Merlino, nella sua radiosa tomba,
dove da giovane ebbi con lui un colloquio,
mi ha illuminato con una uguale risposta:
Sperare che lo stolto migliori è follia!
Chi nasce intelligente, si prenda gioco di loro,
proprio come conviene che sia!

E sulle vette sotto i cieli dell'india
nelle profonde tombe dell'Egitto
ho sempre ascoltato questo sacro motto:
Sperare che lo stolto migliori è follia!
Chi nasce intelligente, si prenda gioco di loro,
proprio come conviene che sia!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2012 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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), "Cophtisches Lied", written 1799
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-02-05
Line count: 19
Word count: 125

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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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