O Mensch! Gib Acht! [Fourth movement of Mahler's 3rd Symphony]
German source:
Friedrich Nietzsche
Was spricht die tiefe Mitternacht?
‘Ich schlief, ich schlief –,
Aus tiefem Traum bin ich erwacht: –
Die Welt ist tief,
Und tiefer als der Tag gedacht.
Tief ist ihr Weh –,
Lust – tiefer noch als Herzeleid:
Weh spricht: Vergeh!
Doch alle Lust will Ewigkeit –,
– will tiefe, tiefe Ewigkeit!’
O Man! Take Heed!
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
What does the deep midnight say?
‘I was asleep, asleep –,
I have awoken from deep dreams: –
The world is deep,
And deeper than the day imagined.
Deep is its grief!
Joy, deeper still than heartache!
Grief says: Perish!
But all joy seeks eternity –,
– seeks deep, deep eternity!’
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
O Mensch! Gib Acht! [Fourth movement of Mahler's 3rd Symphony]
German source:
Friedrich Nietzsche
O Man! Take Heed!
English source:
Richard Stokes
O Mensch! Gib Acht!
O Man! Take heed!
Was spricht die tiefe Mitternacht?
What does the deep midnight say?
‘Ich schlief, ich schlief –,
‘I was asleep, asleep –,
Aus tiefem Traum bin ich erwacht: –
I have awoken from deep dreams: –
Die Welt ist tief,
The world is deep,
Und tiefer als der Tag gedacht.
And deeper than the day imagined.
Tief ist ihr Weh –,
Deep is its grief!
Lust – tiefer noch als Herzeleid:
Joy, deeper still than heartache!
Weh spricht: Vergeh!
Grief says: Perish!
Doch alle Lust will Ewigkeit –,
But all joy seeks eternity –,
– will tiefe, tiefe Ewigkeit!’
– seeks deep, deep eternity!’
Composer
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian late-Romantic composer and conductor. Read more about him here.
Poet
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philosopher, cultural critic, poet, philologist, and Latin and Greek scholar whose work has exerted a profound influence on Western philosophy and modern intellectual history.