Lachen und Weinen

Lachen und Weinen (Laughter and Weeping) is a Lied composed by Franz Schubert in 1822 and published in 1826. It is D. 777 in Otto Erich Deutsch's catalog. The text is from Friedrich Rückert's collection of poems, Östlichen Rosen (Eastern Roses), which was highly influenced by the poetry of the Persian poet Hafis. The poem was untitled in the collection, so Schubert named it after the beginning words.

The tempo marking is "Etwas geschwind" (Somewhat fast). Throughout the song, major and minor tonal fluctuations reflect Schubert's impression of the meanings of the words.