Text & Translation
Resignation
German source:
Paul von Haugwitz
Was dir gebricht,
Das ist nun fort,
An diesem Ort
Kannst du’s nicht wieder finden!
Du mußt nun los dich binden.
Sonst hast du lustig aufgebrannt,
Nun hat man dir die Luft entwandt;
Wenn diese fort geweht,
Die Flamme irregehet,
Sucht, findet nicht;
Lisch aus, mein Licht!
Resignation
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
What you lack
Is now departed,
In this place
You shall never find it again!
You must now break free.
Once you burned brightly,
Now you've been deprived of air;
When that has blown away,
The flame splutters -
Seeks - fails to find -
Go out, my light!
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Resignation
German source:
Paul von Haugwitz
Resignation
English source:
Richard Stokes
Lisch aus, mein Licht!
Go out, my light!
Was dir gebricht,
What you lack
Das ist nun fort,
Is now departed,
An diesem Ort
In this place
Kannst du’s nicht wieder finden!
You shall never find it again!
Du mußt nun los dich binden.
You must now break free.
Sonst hast du lustig aufgebrannt,
Once you burned brightly,
Nun hat man dir die Luft entwandt;
Now you've been deprived of air;
Wenn diese fort geweht,
When that has blown away,
Die Flamme irregehet,
The flame splutters -
Sucht, findet nicht;
Seeks - fails to find -
Lisch aus, mein Licht!
Go out, my light!
Composer
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the classical and romantic eras in classical music, he remains one of the most recognized and influential…
