The dark descends heavy as lead | The dark descends heavy as lead

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by Edith Ronsperger (1880 - 1921)

Translation © by John H. Campbell

Die Dunkelheit sinkt schwer wie Blei

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG

Die Dunkelheit sinkt schwer wie Blei,
in totem grauen Einerlei
ersterben Farbe und Gestalt.
Das müde Schweigen stört kein Laut
gleich einer schwarzen Mauer baut
zum Himmel sich der Wald.

In öde Leere riesengroß
streckt sich mein Leben hoffnungslos.
Es weht so dumpf und grabeskalt
der Atem dieser Nacht mich an,
ein Grauen kriecht an mich heran,
o schlief' ich, schlief ich bald.

Text Authorship:

by Edith Ronsperger (1880 - 1921) [author's text not yet checked 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):

by Franz (August Julius) Schreker (1878 - 1934), "Die Dunkelheit sinkt schwer wie Blei", 1909, from Fünf Gesänge für eine Singstimme und Klavier, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (John H. Campbell) , "The dark descends heavy as lead", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Peter Donderwinkel

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 63

The dark descends heavy as lead

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The dark descends heavy as lead,
in deathly grays the dawn
is colour'd and formed.
No sound disturbs the deathly silence,
the forest is like a black wall
built to heaven itself.

Into immense desolate emptiness
my life stretches on hopelessly.
So hollow and cold as the grave
blows the breath of this night on me,
what dread creeps on me here,
o I must sleep, I will sleep soon.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by John H. Campbell, (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 Edith Ronsperger (1880 - 1921)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 70