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by Joseph Viktor von Scheffel (1826 - 1886)
Translation © by Iain Sneddon

Der letzte Ichthyosaurus
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Es rauscht in den Schachtelhalmen,
verdächtig leuchtet das Meer,
da schwimmt mit Tränen im Auge
ein Ichthyosaurus daher.

Ihn jammert der Zeiten Verderbniss;
denn ein sehr bedenklicher Ton
war neuerlich eingerissen
in der Liasformation.

Der Plesiosaurus, der Alte,
er jubelt in Saus und Braus,
der Pterodaktylus selber
flog jüngst betrunken nach Haus.

Der Iguanodon, der Lümmel,
wird frecher zu jeglicher Frist,
schon hat er am hellen Tage
die Ichthyosaura geküsst.

Mir ahnt eine Weltkatastrophe,
so kann es ja länger nicht geh’n:
was soll aus der Lias noch werden,
wenn solche Dinge geschehn?

So klagte der Ichthyosaurus,
da ward’s ihm kreidig zu Muth,
sein letzter Seufzer verhallte
im Qualmen und Zischen der Fluth.

Es starb zu der selbigen Stunde
die ganze Saurierei,
sie kamen zu tief in die Kreide,
da war’s natürlich vorbei.

Und der uns hat gesungen 
dies petrefaktische Lied,
er fand’s als fossiles Albumblatt
auf einem Coprolith.

Text Authorship:

  • by Joseph Viktor von Scheffel (1826 - 1886) [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 Vinzenz Lachner (1811 - 1893), "Der letzte Ichthyosaurus", op. 33 no. 6, published 1886 [bass or baritone and piano], from Scherz im Ernst und Ernst im Scherz. Cyklus von 13 Gesängen nach Gedichten von V. von Scheffel, für Bass (oder Bariton) mit Pianoforte, no. 6, Schott, Mainz [ sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Iain Sneddon) , "The Last Ichthyosaurus", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-05-14
Line count: 32
Word count: 148

The Last Ichthyosaurus
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
There's rustling amongst the horsetail trees,
a flash of suspicion from the sea,
at the swimming Ichthyosaurus
with tears in its eyes.

He complains of times of corruption;
because a very dubious rumbling
was tearing down through
the limestone formation.

The Plesiosaurus, the elder,
he rejoices in the lap of luxury,
the pterodactyl on his own
recently flew home drunk.

The Iguanodon, the lout,
becomes cheekier all the time.
He has already, in broad daylight,
kissed the Ichthyosauruses.

I suspect a world catastrophe,
it cannot go on like this much longer:
what shall become of the epoch,
if such things happen?

So the Ichthyosaurus lamented
then his heart turned to chalk,
His last sigh was lost
in the smoke and hiss of the flood.

They died at that self-same hour
all the dinosaurs,
they sank too deep into the chalk,
so naturally it was all over.

And he has sung to us
this petrified song,
he found it as fossilised sheet music
on a coprolite.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2019 by Iain Sneddon, (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:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Joseph Viktor von Scheffel (1826 - 1886)
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2019-05-14
Line count: 32
Word count: 165

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