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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.

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by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Die Perlen meiner Seele
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Persian (Farsi) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
Die Perlen meiner Seele
Haben keinen andern Sinn, du Süße,
Als daß ich sie hinstreue,
Vor deine kleinen launischen Füße.
Solange meine Pulse schlagen,
Gehör ich dir.

Wenn ich dereinst begraben bin,
Werde ich als Staub vom Grab her wirbeln
Und den Saum deines Gewandes küssen,
Voller Liebe.

Du meinst mir Kränkendes zu sagen.
Du irrst dich.
Deine Bitterkeiten [gehen]1 über Lippen,
Die so süß sind, daß alles,
Was mein Ohr erreicht,
Nur liebevolles Schmeicheln ist.

Niemals kommen wir zusammen,
Du und ich,
Was ich dir zuliebe tu,
Verschmähst du.
Gram, den du mir zufügst,
streif ich ab.

Schmück ich dich mit allen Kostbarkeiten,
Zürnst du mir.
Und deine Zornesworte
Lächelnd nehm ich sie
Wie einen Gruß der Gnade auf.

Ich möchte aus deinem Haar
Eine endlose Flechte winden,
Um mich hinzuschwingen
Von Stern zu Stern,
Um allen kreisenden Welten
Frohlockend deine Schönheit zu künden.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Strauss 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Strauss: "gehn"

Text Authorship:

  • by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Persian (Farsi) by Hafis (c1327 - 1390) [text unavailable]
    • 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 Paul Breisach (1896 - 1952), "Die Perlen meiner Seele", 1918, published 1919 [ medium voice and piano ], from Lieder an die Geliebte, no. 1, Zürich : Hüni [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "Huldigung", op. 77 no. 5 (1928), published 1929 [ voice and piano ], from Gesänge des Orients. Nachdichtungen aus dem Persischen und Chinesischen von Hans Bethge, no. 5, Leipzig: F.E.C. Leuckart [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in Polish (Polski), a translation by Stanisław Barącz (1864 - 1936) [an adaptation] ; composed by Karol Maciej Szymanowski.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Homenatge", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Homage", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Hommage", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Alberto Pedrotti , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 33
Word count: 146

Hommage
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Les perles de mon âme
N'ont d'autres pensées, ô douce,
Que d'être répandues par moi
Devant tes petits pieds capricieux.
Aussi longtemps que battra mon pouls,
Je t'appartiendrai.

Lorsqu'un jour je serai enterré,
Du tombeau je viendrai, poussière, ici tourbillonner
Et embrasser l'ourlet de ton vêtement,
Débordant d'amour.

Tu crois me dire des choses blessantes.
Tu te trompes.
L'acrimonie qui passe tes lèvres
Est si douce que tout
Ce qui atteint mon oreille
N'est qu'une tendre caresse.

Jamais nous ne serons unis,
Toi et moi,
Ce que je fais pour t'aimer,
Tu le dédaignes.
Le chagrin que tu m'infliges,
Je m'en défais.

Si je te pare de joyaux,
Tu es irritée contre moi.
Et tes mots de colère,
Je les prends avec le sourire,
Comme l'expression de ta grâce.

Avec tes cheveux, je voudrais
Tresser une natte sans fin,
Et avec elle me balancer
D'étoile en étoile,
Autour de tous les cercles du monde
Pour y proclamer avec joie ta beauté.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2013 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 Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946)
    • Go to the text page.

Based on:

  • a text in Persian (Farsi) by Hafis (c1327 - 1390) [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2013-05-10
Line count: 33
Word count: 161

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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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