by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Alte Laute
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG ESP FRE IRI ITA
Hörst du den Vogel singen?
Siehst du den Blütenbaum?
Herz! kann dich das nicht bringen
Aus deinem bangen Traum?
 
Was hör' ich? alte Laute
Wehmüt'ger Jünglingsbrust
Der Zeit, als ich vertraute
Der Welt und ihrer Lust.
 
Die Tage sind vergangen,
Mich heilt kein Kraut der Flur;
Und aus dem Traum, dem bangen,
Weckt mich ein Engel nur.

Confirmed with: Kerners Werke, Zweiter Teil, Gedichte, ed. Raimund Pissin, Berlin, Leipzig, Wien, Stuttgart: Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., 1914, page 69


Text Authorship:

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

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Veus antigues", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Oude klanken", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Old sounds", copyright ©
  • ESP Esperanto (Manfred Retzlaff) , "Malnovaj sonoj", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Anciennes voix", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , "Sean-ghlórtha", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Vecchio liuto", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 57

Old sounds
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
 Do you hear the bird singing?
 Do you see the blossoming tree?
 Heart! can this not rouse you
 from your fearful dream?

 What do I hear? Old sounds
 of a mourning, youthful breast,
 from that time when I trusted
 the world and its joys.

 Those days are gone.
 I will be healed by no meadow herb;
 And from this dream, this fearful nightmare,
 only an angel will awaken me.

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.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 70