Lament for the Dead | The whirlwind rages uninhibitedly

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by Adelbert von Chamisso (1781 - 1838)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Todtenklage

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Windbraut tobet unverdrossen,
    Eule schreiet in den Klippen, -
Weh'! euch hat der Tod geschlossen,
    Blaue Augen, ros'ge Lippen!

Eule schreiet in den Klippen,
    Grausig sich die Schatten senken -
Blaue Augen, ros'ge Lippen!
    Hin mein Lieben, hin mein Denken!

Grausig sich die Schatten senken,
    Regen strömt in kalten Schauern. -
Hin mein Lieben, hin mein Denken!
    Weinen muß ich stets und trauern.

Regen strömt in kalten Schauern.
    Zieh'n die Wolken wohl vorüber? -
Weinen muß ich stets und trauern,
    Und mein Blick wird trüb' und trüber.

Zieh'n die Wolken wohl vorüber,
    Strahlt ein Stern in ew'gem Lichte. -
Ach! mein Blick wird trüb' und trüber,
    Bis ich ihn nach oben richte.

Text Authorship:

by Adelbert von Chamisso (1781 - 1838), "Todtenklage", appears in In malayischer Form, no. 3 [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 Robert Fuchs (1847 - 1927), "Todtenklage", op. 18 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme (T.) mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Lament for the Dead", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Plainte funèbre", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-03-12
Line count: 20
Word count: 107

Lament for the Dead

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The whirlwind rages uninhibitedly,
    The owl screams in the cliffs, --
Woe unto you! Death has closed
    Your blue eyes, your red lips!
 
The owl screams in the cliffs,
    Eerily the shadows fall --
Blue eyes, red lips!
    My love is gone, gone is my ability to think!
 
Eerily the shadows fall
    Rain streams down in cold showers. --
My love is gone, gone is my ability to think!
   I must weep constantly and grieve.
 
Rain streams down in cold showers.
    Shall the clouds ever pass away? --
I must weep constantly and grieve,
    And my sight grows dim and dimmer.
 
When the clouds pass away,
   A star shall shine in eternal light. --
Ah! my sight grows dim and dimmer,
   Until I turn my gaze upward.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2011 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Adelbert von Chamisso (1781 - 1838), "Todtenklage", appears in In malayischer Form, no. 3
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-01-30
Line count: 20
Word count: 122