Die letzten Rosen welken in den Beeten. Hinstirbt der Dahlien dunkles Blättergrün. Hoch überm Föhrenhain, dem windverwehten, Der Wandervögel schwarze Scharen ziehn. Nun werden sich im Park die Buchen färben. Schon sind die schlanken Linden gelb und rot. Am düstern Waldrand sitzt der greise Tod Und sinnt verträumt ins bleiche Sonnensterben. Dem lauten Feste folgt die Trauerfeier. Es schleicht die letzte Sehnsucht still zur Ruh[;]1 Und muttersorglich decken Nebelschleier Die [lebensmüde alte]2 Erde zu.
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View original text (without footnotes)1 changed to a comma in the 1929 edition of the poem.
2 in the 1929 edition of the poem: "lebensmüde, alte"
Text Authorship:
- by Hans Reinhart (1880 - 1963), "Welkende Welt", appears in Auf welken Wegen, first published 1921 [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 Alfred Schlenker (1876 - 1950), "Welkende Welt", published c1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2011-01-12
Line count: 12
Word count: 76