The silent town | A town lies in the valley

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by Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel (1863 - 1920)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Die stille Stadt

(Sung text for setting by A. Mahler)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FIN FRE

Liegt eine Stadt im Tale,
ein blasser Tag vergeht;
es wird nicht lang mehr dauern,
bis weder Mond noch Sterne
nur Nacht am Himmel steht.

Von allen Bergen drücken
Nebel auf die Stadt;
es dringt kein Dach, nicht Hof noch Haus,
kein Laut aus ihrem Rauch heraus,
kaum Türme noch und Brücken.

Doch als der Wandrer graute,
da ging ein Lichtlein auf im Grund;
und aus dem Rauch und Nebel
begann ein Lobgesang
aus Kindermund.

Composition:

Alma Mahler

Fünf Lieder

Text Authorship:

by Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel (1863 - 1920), "Die stille Stadt"

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The silent town", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Hiljainen kaupunki", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La ville calme", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Jakob Kellner , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 85

The silent town

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Mahler)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

A town lies in the valley,
a pallid day fades;
it will not be long now
before neither moon nor stars
but only night will be seen in the sky.

From all the mountains
fog presses down upon the town;
no roof may be discerned, no yard nor house,
no sound penetrates through the smoke,
barely even a tower or a bridge.

But as the traveller became filled with dread
a little light shone out;
and from out of the smoke and fog
a song of praise began,
sung by children.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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 Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel (1863 - 1920), "Die stille Stadt"
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This text was added to the website: 2015-03-04
Line count: 15
Word count: 95