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Laßt mich im Gras und Blumen liegen Und schaun dem blauen Himmel zu: Wie goldne Wolken ihn durchfliegen, In ihm ein Falke kreist in Ruh'. Die blaue Stille stört dort oben Kein Dampfer und kein Segelschiff, Kein Menschentritt, kein Pferdetoben, Nicht des Dampfwagens wilder Pfiff. Laßt satt mich schauen in die Klarheit, In diesen keuschen, sel'gen Raum, Denn bald könnt' werden ja zur Wahrheit Das Fliegen, der unsel'ge Traum. Dann flieht der Vogel aus den Lüften Wie aus dem Rhein der Salme schon, Und wo einst singend Lerchen schifften, Schifft grämlich stumm Britannias Sohn. Blick' ich gen Himmel, zu gewahren, Warum's so plötzlich dunkel sei, Erschau' ich einen Zug von Waren, Der an der Sonne schifft vorbei. Fühl' Regen ich im Sonnenscheine, Such' ich den Regenbogen keck, Ist es kein Regen, wie ich meine, Ward in der Luft ein Ölfaß leck. Laßt schaun mich von dem Erdgetümmel Zum Himmel, eh' es ist zu spät, Eh' wie vom Erdball so vom Himmel Die Poesie still trauernd geht. Verzeiht dies Lied des Dichters Grolle, Träumt er von solchem Himmelsgraus, Er, den die Zeit, die dampfestolle, Schließt von der Erde lieblos aus.
Confirmed with Justinus Kerner Werke. Zweiter Teil. Gedichte, ed. Raimund Pissin, Berlin, Leipzig, Wien, Stuttgart: Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., 1914, pages 28-29.
Authorship:
- by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Im Grase", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "In the grass", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-24
Line count: 32
Word count: 189
Let me lie in grass and flowers And gaze towards the blue sky: [To see] how golden clouds fly through it, How a falcon circles peacefully in it. The blue stillness up there is not disturbed By any steamer and any sailing ship, No footsteps of man, no uproar of horses, Not the wild whistle of a steam carriage. Let me look my fill at the clarity, In this chaste, blessed expanse, For soon the evil dream Of flying could become reality. Then the birds shall flee from the air The way the salmon already flees the Rhine, And where once larks soared while singing, Britannia's sons now travel morosely mute. If I look at the heavens, to determine Why it is dark so suddenly, I behold a train of commodities That travels past the sun. If in the sunshine I feel rain, I boldly look for the rainbow; If it was not rain, as I thought, Then an oil barrel in the air has sprung a leak. Let me gaze from the earthly tumult Up toward heaven, before it is too late, Before from the globe as from the heavens Poetry departs, silently sorrowing. Forgive this song of the poet's grievance, That he dreams of such a horror in the heavens, He, whom his time, his steam-mad time, Shuts out from earth uncharitably.
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2015 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Im Grase", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte
This text was added to the website: 2015-03-19
Line count: 32
Word count: 224