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by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Die zwei Parallelen
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Es gingen zwei Parallelen
ins Endlose hinaus,
zwei kerzengerade Seelen
und aus solidem Haus.

Sie wollten sich nicht schneiden
bis an ihr seliges Grab:
Das war nun einmal der beiden
geheimer Stolz und Stab.

Doch als sie zehn Lichtjahre
gewandert neben sich hin,
da wards dem einsamen Paare
nicht irdisch mehr zu Sinn.

Warn sie noch Parallelen?
Sie wußtens selber nicht, -
sie flossen nur wie zwei Seelen
zusammen durch ewiges Licht.

Das ewige Licht durchdrang sie,
da wurden sie eins in ihm;
die Ewigkeit verschlang sie
als wie zwei Seraphim.

Text Authorship:

  • by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Die zwei Parallelen", appears in Nachlese zur Galgenpoesie [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 Karl-Josef Müller (1937 - 2001), "Die zwei Parallelen" [ chorus ], from Die Walnußschale mit der Vogelfeder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Rudi Spring (b. 1962), "Die zwei Parallelen", op. 19c (Galgenliederbuch, 3. Folge) no. 7 (1996), published 2003 [ male voice and piano ], from Galgenliederbuch nach Gedichten von Christian Morgenstern, no. 21, München (Munich), Verlag vierdreiunddreissig [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Les deux parallèles", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-02-23
Line count: 20
Word count: 90

Les deux parallèles
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Deux parallèles sortirent
dans l'infini,
deux âmes droites comme bougies
sortirent d'une solide maison.

Elles ne voulaient pas se croiser
jusqu'à leur dernière demeure :
c'était à toutes deux
leur fierté et secrète ligne de conduite.

Mais après de dix années-lumière
de promenade l'une à côté de l'autre,
le couple solitaire
avait perdu le sens terrestre.

Étaient-elles encore des parallèles ?
Elles-même ne le savaient point,
elles s'écoulaient ensemble comme deux âmes
à travers la lumière éternelle.

La lumière éternelle les pénétra,
alors elles s'unirent en elle :
l'éternité les avala
comme deux séraphins.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Die zwei Parallelen", appears in Nachlese zur Galgenpoesie
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2011-08-16
Line count: 20
Word count: 91

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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