Jugend, du große, [lüsterne]1, liebende! --
Jugend voll Anmut -- Jugend voll Kraft und Zauber!
Weißt du, daß das Alter nach dir kommt?
Daß es kommen kann mit [gleicher Anmut]2, gleicher Kraft und gleichem Zauber?

Du vollerblühter glänzender Tag! --
Tag der Sonne, Tag des Lachens, Tag [des Ehrgeizes]3, Tag der Taten!
Die Nacht kommt schnell mit Millionen [Sonnen]4,
  mit Schlaf und [mit]2 süßem Dunkel!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
Copied from Die Lyrik des Auslandes in neuerer Zeit, ed. Hans Bethge, Leipzig: Max Hesses Verlag, 1907, pages 16-17.
¹ Marx: "sehnende"
² omitted by Marx
³ Marx: "der Liebe"
⁴ Marx: "Sternen"

Text Authorship:

• by Karl Federn (1868 - 1943), "Jugend, Tag, Alter und Nacht" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

• a text in English by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), no title, appears in Leaves of Grass, in Great are the Myths, no. 1, stanzas 3 and 4
  • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Joseph Marx (1882 - 1964), "Jugend und Alter", 1909, published 1912 [medium voice and orchestra or piano], in Lieder und Gesänge, II. Folge, Nr.21 [ sung text verified 1 time]

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

• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Youth, Day, Old Age and Night", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Jeunesse et vieillesse", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Barbara Miller , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-01-12
Line count: 8
Word count: 71

Youth, you great one, [lusty]1 one, loving one! -- 
Youth full of grace -- youth full of strength and enchantment!
Do you know that age comes after you?
That it can come with the [same grace]2, the same strength and the same enchantment?

You full-blown glowing day! --
Day of sunshine, day of laughter, day of [ambition]3, day of deeds!
The night comes quickly with millions of [suns]4,
  with sleep and [with]2 sweet darkness!