by
Edward Elgar, Sir (1857 - 1934)
What is that? ... Nothing
Language: English
Available translation(s): GER
What is that? ... Nothing;
The leaves must fall, and falling, rustle;
That is all:
They are dead
As they fall, -
Dead at the foot of the tree;
All that can be is said.
What is it? ... Nothing.
What is that? ... Nothing;
A wild thing hurt but mourns in the night,
And it cries
In its dread,
Till it lies
Dead at the foot of the tree;
All that can be is said.
What is it? ... Nothing.
What is that? ... Ah!
A marching slow of unseen feet,
That is all:
But a bier, spread
With a pall,
Is now at the foot of the tree;
All that could be is said.
Is it ... what? ... Nothing.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 122
Was ist das? … Nichts
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Was ist das? … Nichts;
die Blätter müssen - raschelnd - fallen;
das ist alles:
Sie sind schon tot
bei ihrem Fallen -
tot am Fuß des Baumes;
Alles, was man sagen kann, ist gesagt.
Was ist es? … Nichts.
Was ist das? … Nichts;
ein wildes Ding, verwundet, nächtens klagt
und heult
in seiner Not,
bis es liegt tot
am Fuß des Baumes;
Alles, was man sagen kann, ist gesagt.
Was ist es? … Nichts.
Was ist das? … Ach!
Ein Marsch verborgner Füße, ohne Hast,
das ist alles:
Bloß eine Bahre,
tuchverhüllt,
steht nun am Fuß des Baumes;
alles, was man sagen könnte, ist gesagt.
Ist es … was? … Nichts.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "Owls - an Epitaph" = "Eulen - ein Grabgedicht"
Authorship:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2018-08-27
Line count: 24
Word count: 113