The old man | Now I stand above ridge and chasm

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by Gustav Falke (1853 - 1916)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Der Alte

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE FRE

Nun steh ich über Grat und Kluft
In abendlichen Rosen
Und höre durch die klare Luft
Das Leben tief vertosen.

Ein Adler rauscht ins Tal hinab,
Wo meine Toten schlafen,
Was ich geliebt dort unten hab,
Weiß ich in sicherm Hafen.

Und bin nun über Leid und Zeit
Und meinen Sternen näher
Und schaue in die Ewigkeit,
Ein stillgemuter Späher.

Durch eine selige Bläue schwimmt
Ein Nachen da herüber,
Naht, neigt den schwanken Bord und nimmt
Sanft schaukelnd mich hinüber.

Text Authorship:

by Gustav Falke (1853 - 1916), "Der Alte" [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 Max Reger (1873 - 1916), "Der Alte", op. 55 (Fünfzehn Lieder) no. 15 (1901) [ medium voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille (1861 - 1907), "Der Alte", op. 32 (Drei Lieder für tiefe Singstimme) no. 2, published 1905 [ low voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "L'ancià", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The old man", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le vieil homme", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le vieil homme", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 80

The old man

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

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Now I stand above ridge and chasm
In the roses of evening
And through the clear air
I hear life bluster itself out far below.

An eagle whooshes down into the valley,
Where my dead sleep,
What I loved down there
I know to be in a secure port.

And I am now above pain and time
And closer to my stars
And gaze into eternity,
A quietly contented scout.

Through a blessed blueness floats
A barque across to me,
It nears, inclines its swaying deck and,
Gently rocking, takes me across.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2012 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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Gustav Falke (1853 - 1916), "Der Alte"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2012-07-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 92