She works softly in the chamber

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by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Stille schafft sie in der Kammer

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Stille schafft sie in der Kammer
Und der Hof liegt längst verödet.
Im Hollunder vor der Kammer
Kläglich eine Amsel flötet.

Silbern schaut ihr Bild im Spiegel
Fremd sie an im Zwielichtscheine
Und verdämmert fahl im Spiegel
Und ihr graut vor seiner Reine.

Traumhaft singt ein Knecht im Dunkel
Und sie starrt von Schmerz geschüttelt.
Röte träufelt durch das Dunkel.
Jäh am Tor der Südwind rüttelt.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• P. Hindemith

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), no title, appears in Gedichte 1909 -1913 , in Die junge Magd, no. 2 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "Stille schafft sie in der Kammer", op. 23 no. 2b (1922), first performed 1922 [ alto, flute, clarinet, and string quartet ], from Die junge Magd, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Sfaccenda silenziosa nella stanza", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Bertram Kottmann

This text was added to the website: 2007-02-01
Line count: 12
Word count: 66

She works softly in the chamber

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

She works softly in the chamber 
and the farm lies long deserted. 
In the elders by the chamber 
woefully a blackbird warbles. 

Silverly and strangely mirrored 
shines her image in the gloaming,
turning paler in the mirror, 
and she’s dreading its appearance. 

In the dark a farmhand’s singing,
unreal, and she stares grief-stricken.
Redness trickles through the darkness.
At the door the south-wind rattles.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Stille schafft sie in der Kammer" = "She works softly in the chamber"

Text Authorship:

Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), no title, appears in Gedichte 1909 -1913 , in Die junge Magd, no. 2
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-12-18
Line count: 12
Word count: 64