Klingsor addresses the "Shadow" | The glow of the carousel had gone out during the night

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Das Karussell war in der Nacht verglüht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Das Karussell war in der Nacht verglüht,
Der Tanz zu Ende, die Musik versprüht,
Vom Wein die Tafel rot.
Wir saßen noch und starrten, müd vom Wein,
Schwül kam der Wind durchs offne Tor herein,
Im Garten stand der Tod.

Du deinen Weg, ich meinen, gingen wir
Schweigend hinweg und suchten Nachtquartier,
Die Freude war verloht.
Und seither tönt der Nachtwind mir im Ohr
Von damals, und an jedem Weg und Tor
Steht immer noch der Tod.

About the headline (FAQ)

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 278-279.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Klingsor an den "Schatten"", written 1922 [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 Anton Würz (1903 - 1995), "In der Nacht", op. 11 no. 1 (1940) [ male voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder nach Gedichten von Hermann Hesse, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Klingsor addresses the "Shadow"", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-05-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 77

Klingsor addresses the "Shadow"

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The glow of the carousel had gone out during the night,
The dance had ended, the music had dissipated,
The board was red with wine.
We sat yet and stared before us, weary from the wine,
The wind blew humidly in through the open gate,
In the garden stood death.

You your way, I mine, we went
Away silently and sought a night's accommodation,
Joy had burned itself out.
And ever since the night-wind in my ear speaks
Of that time, and at every path and gateway
Death still stands.

English song title: In the night

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2014 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 Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Klingsor an den "Schatten"", written 1922
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2014-05-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 90