Enthauptung
Language: German (Deutsch) after the French (Français)
Our translations: CHI ENG FRE ITA NYN
Der Mond, ein blankes Türkenschwert
Auf einem schwarzen Seidenkissen,
Gespenstisch groß - dräut er hinab
Durch schmerzendunkle Nacht.
Pierrot irrt ohne Rast umher
Und starrt empor in Todesängsten
Zum Mond, dem blanken Türkenschwert
Auf einem schwarzen Seidenkissen.
Es schlottern unter ihm die Knie,
Ohnmächtig bricht er jäh zusammen.
Er wähnt: es sause strafend schon
Auf seinen Sünderhals hernieder
Der Mond, das blanke Türkenschwert.
Confirmed with
Die Lyrik des Auslandes in neuerer Zeit, ed. Hans Bethge, Leipzig: Max Hesses Verlag, 1907, pages 22-23
Text Authorship:
Based on:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Arnold Franz Walter Schoenberg (1874 - 1951), "Enthauptung", op. 21 no. 13 (1912), from Pierrot lunaire, no. 13 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Otto Vrieslander (1880 - 1950), "Enthauptung", 1905?, published 1905 [ medium voice and piano ], from Pierrot lunaire, Dichtungen von A. Giraud ins deutstche übertragen von O. E. Hartleben, no. 15, München, Heinrich Lewy [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "斬首", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Mimmi Fulmer) (Ric Merritt) , "Beheading", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Décapitation", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Decapitazione", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- NYN Norwegian (Nynorsk) (Are Frode Søholt) , "Halshugging", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-16
Line count: 13
Word count: 62
Beheading
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
The moon, a shining scimitar
On a black silk cushion,
Preternaturally large-glowers down
Through night's pall of sorrow.
Pierrot wanders about restlessly
And stares aloft in deadly fear
At the moon, a shining scimitar
On a black silk cushion.
His knees tremble,
He collapses senseless.
He fancies it's already whistling down
In vengeance on his guilty neck,
The moon, the shining scimitar.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Mimmi Fulmer and Ric Merritt, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-16
Line count: 13
Word count: 62
