The air is congealed with cold

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by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850)

Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Winternacht

(Sung text for setting by C. Griffes)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

I
Vor Kälte ist die Luft erstarrt,
Es kracht der Schnee von meinen Tritten,
Es dampft mein Hauch, es klirrt mein Bart;
Nur fort, nur immerfort geschritten!

Wie feierlich die Gegend schweigt!
Der Mond bescheint die alten Fichten, 
Die, sehnsuchtsvoll zum Tod geneigt,
Den Zweig zurück zur Erde richten.

Frost! Friere mir ins Herz hinein,
Tief in das heiß bewegte, wilde!
Daß einmal Ruh mag drinnen sein,
Wie hier im nächtlichen Gefilde.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.

Composition:

Charles Tomlinson Griffes

Text Authorship:

by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Winternacht", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Sehnsucht

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Nuit d'hiver", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Matthias Gräff-Schestag , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 26
Word count: 146

The air is congealed with cold

(Sung text translation for setting by C. Griffes)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I
The air is congealed with cold,
The snow crunches beneath my feet,
My breath in clouds, my beard a-rattle,
Onward, always trudging onward!

How profoundly silent is this realm!
The moon illumines ancient spruce,
Which nod longingly toward death,
Pointing branches down toward the earth.

Frost! Freeze within my heart,
Deeply, into the hot, churning wildness!
That it might be tranquil inside once more,
As here in these fields of night.

 ...

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Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 by Michael P Rosewall, (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 Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Winternacht", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Sehnsucht
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This text was added to the website: 2022-07-01
Line count: 26
Word count: 158