Zeitlied
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): ENG
Die Träumer und Propheten,
die raten und die reden viel von der Ewigkeit.
Wohlan, wer's kann, der fliege!
Wir steigen auf der Stiege
bescheiden, stufenweise; so dienen wir die Zeit.
Wir bleiben auf der Erden,
hier gilt es, reif zu werden in Kraft und Fröhlichkeit.
Das ist des Lebens Segen:
im Lichte sich zu regen;
wir messen unsre Kräfte am Kraftmaß unsrer Zeit.
Sie gibt uns viel, wir geben
ihr unser ganzes Leben in Kindesdankbarkeit;
das Erbe gilt's zu mehren,
dass wir mit ihr in Ehren
vor uns bestehen können froh einer reichen Zeit.
Schön soll sie sein, und Stärke
das Merkmall ihrer Werke; der Kraft sei sie geweiht,
die Seele, Geist und Triebe
umfasst mit gleicher Liebe,
dass wir mit Stolz bekennen: wir dienen dieser Zeit!
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, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , title 1: "Time song", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2008-03-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 127
Time song
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
Dreamers and prophets
give advice and preach a lot about eternity.
So come on, anyone who can, fly to it!
We climb the stairs
carefully, step by step. That's how we serve time.
We stay on earth;
here it is a matter of getting ready in strength and joy.
That is the blessing of life:
to move in the light.
We judge our powers by the measure of our time.
It gives us a lot, we give
it our whole life in childlike gratitude;
it is a matter of increasing the inheritance,
so that we, respecting it,
can happily withstand a rich time.
It should be beautiful, and strength
should be a feature of its effect; it should have energy devoted to it;
the soul, spirit and desire
should embrace with similar love
what we with pride acknowledge: we serve this time!
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 by Malcolm Wren, (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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2008-03-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 142