And Yet — Should I Now Try New Songs To Sing

And yet — should I now try new songs to sing,

The old accustomed tone I could not find;

Too often grief my soul with pangs doth wring,

Instead of mirth, scorn filleth now my mind.

The world serves idols now, the good ignoring,

And truth is silent, beauty hides her face;

What is unnatural men are adoring,

God is forgotten, Mammon takes his place!

The Poet, now, should be a prophet warning,

Like those of old, reproving, praying, mourning!

The Trumpeter of Sakkingen – Preface to the Second Edition – Joseph Victor von Scheffel – 1877 Edition –

Translated by Mrs. Francis Brünnow