Singable translation by John (or Jack) William Mackail (1859 - 1945)
Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Melisande's song
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Our translations:  GER
The King's three blind daughters
Sit locked in a hold.
In the darkness their lamps
Make a glimmer of gold.

Up the stair of the turret
The sisters are gone,
Seven days they wait there
And the lamps they burn on.

"What hope?" says the first,
And leans o'er the flame.
"I hear our lamps burning.
O yet! if he came!"

"O hope!" says the second,
"Was that the lamps' flare,
Or a sound of low footsteps?
The Prince on the stair!"

But the holiest sister
She turns her about:
"O no hope now for ever,
Our lamps are gone out!"

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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):

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

  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Melisandes Lied", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Bertram Kottmann

This text was added to the website: 2005-03-01
Line count: 20
Word count: 101

Melisandes Lied
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
 Des Königs drei Töchter,
    gefangen und blind,
 der Schein ihrer Lampen
    das Dunkel durchdringt.

 So steigen im Burgturm
    die Stufen sie hoch,
 sieben Tage am warten -
    ihr Licht leuchtet noch.

 Voll Hoffnung die erste
    zur Flamme sich neigt.
 Ich höre sie brennen,
    ach , träf' er bald ein!

 Ist's das Flackern der Flamme,
    ist's des Prinzen Schritt?
 Die zweite der Schwestern
    fragt's und hofft mit.

 Die Frömmste der Dreien
    erkennt es mit Graus:
 Die Hoffnung erloschen,
    die Lampen sind aus.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2005 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Bertram Kottmann.  Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de

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Based on:

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This text was added to the website: 2005-03-01
Line count: 20
Word count: 81