Ihr wandelt droben im Licht

Ihr wandelt droben im Licht
  Auf weichem Boden, selige Genien!
    Glänzende Götterlüfte
      Rühren Euch leicht,
        Wie die Finger der Künstlerin
          Heilige Saiten.

Schicksallos, wie der schlafende
  Säugling, atmen die Himmlischen;
    Keusch bewahrt
      in bescheidener Knospe,
        Blühet ewig
          Ihnen der Geist,
            Und die seligen Augen
              Blicken in stiller
                Ewiger Klarheit.

Doch uns ist gegeben,
  Auf keiner Stätte zu ruhn;
    Es schwinden, es fallen
      Die leidenden Menschen
        Blindlings von einer
          Stunde [zur]1 andern,
            Wie Wasser von Klippe
              Zu Klippe geworfen,
                Jahrlang ins Ungewisse hinab.

by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) , "Hyperions Schicksalslied", 1798, from Gedichte 1784-1800

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

by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) , "Hyperions Schicksalslied", alternate title: "Schicksalslied", op. 54 (1868), published 1871.
by Friedrich Cerha (1926-) , no title, 1995, stanza 3, from Acht Sätze nach Hölderlin-Fragmenten, no. 2.
by Wolfgang Fortner (1907-1987) , "Hyperions Schicksalslied", 1934, from Vier Gesänge nach Worten von Hölderlin, no. ?
by Josef Matthias Hauer (1883-1959) , "Hyperions Schicksalslied", op. 6 (Fünf Lieder) no. 2 (1914).
by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948-) , "Hyperions Schicksalslied", op. 31 no. 4, published 1980, first performed 1981 [voice and organ], from Schicksalslieder (Pesny sud'by), no. 4, also set in Russian
by Erich J. Wolff (1874-1913) , "Hyperions Schicksalslied", op. 10 (Zwei Gesänge) no. 1, published 1907.

by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948-) , "Pesnja sud'by Giperiona", op. 31 no. 4, published 1980, first performed 1981 [voice and organ], from Schicksalslieder (Pesny sud'by), no. 4, also set in German

ENG English (Emily Ezust)
FRE French (Philippe Dondey) (Angelika Weitzel-Dumoulin)
ENG English (John Glenn Paton)
ITA Italian (Ferdinando Albeggiani)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Pesnja sud'by Giperiona

Prostivshis' s miloj zemljoj,
  Vy k zvjozdam mchites', svetlye genii,
    Ljogkoj rukoju veter
      Vdal' vas nesjot,
        Slovno otrok, laskajushchij
          Nezhnye struny.

Gordye i spokojnye,
  Slovno deti, bespechnye,
    V nebesakh,
      Kak v volshebnykh butonakh
        Dushi vashi
          Vechno cvetut,
            I schastlivye vzory
              Vy ustremili
                V jasnuju vechnost'.

No nam net pokoja
  Ni v `etoj zhizni, ni v toj.
    Bez sveta, bez krova
      Bessil'nye ljudi
        Slepo nesutsja
          Vniz, v neizvestnost',
            I padajut, b'jutsja,
              Kak volny o skaly,
                Bessledno ischezaja vo t'me.

Show Cyrillic (Покажите текст в кириллице)
Note on Transliteration

Singable translation by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948-)

a text in German by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) , "Hyperions Schicksalslied", 1798, from Gedichte 1784-1800 ENG ITA FRE

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

by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948-) , "Pesnja sud'by Giperiona", op. 31 no. 4, published 1980, first performed 1981 [voice and organ], from Schicksalslieder (Pesny sud'by), no. 4, also set in German

Date added to the website: 2008-03-17.