The Moonsheep | The moonsheep stands upon the plain

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by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Lunovis

Language: Latin

Our translations: ENG

Lunovis in planitie stat
Cultrumque magn' expectitat.
   Lunovis.

Lunovis herba rapta it
In montes, unde cucurrit.
   Lunovis.

Lunovis habet somnium:
Se culmen rer' ess' omnium.
   Lunovis.

Lunovis mane mortuumst.
Sol ruber atque ips' albumst.
   Lunovis.

Confirmed with Christian Morgenstern, Galgenlieder, Berlin: Verlag von Bruno Cassirer, 1914, Page 11.

Text Authorship:

by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Lunovis" [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 Dieter Bäumle (1935 - 1981), "Lunovis", first performed 1973 [ chorus and chamber orchestra ], from Galgenlieder, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Farber (b. 1945), "Lunovis", from Galgenlieder, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
by Paul Hermann Franz Graener (1872 - 1944), "Lunovis" [sung text not yet checked]
by Rudi Spring (b. 1962), "Lunovis", op. 19b (Galgenliederbuch, 2. Folge) no. 7 (1983/96), published 2003 [ voice and piano ], from Galgenliederbuch nach Gedichten von Christian Morgenstern, no. 14, München (Munich), Verlag vierdreiunddreissig [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Moonsheep", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-30
Line count: 12
Word count: 35

The Moonsheep

Language: English after the Latin

The moonsheep stands upon the plain
And for the knife it waits and waits.
   The moonsheep.

The moonsheep, having grazed, goes up
Into the mountains whence it came.
   The moonsheep.

The moonsheep sees this in a dream:
It is the summit of all things.
   The moonsheep.

The moonsheep on the morn lies dead.
The sun is red, and it is white.
   The moonsheep.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2025 by Grant Hicks, (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 Latin by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Lunovis"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-05-24
Line count: 12
Word count: 63