by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

When they come back ‑‑ if Blossoms do
Language: English 
Our translations:  CAT FRE GER ITA
When they come back -- if Blossoms do --
I always feel a doubt
If Blossoms can be born again
When once the Art is out --

When they begin, if Robins [may]1,
I always had a fear
I did not tell, it was their last Experiment
Last Year,

When it is May, if May return,
[Had]2 nobody a pang
Lest [in]3 a Face so beautiful
[He]4 might not look again?

If I am there -- One does not know
What Party -- One may be
Tomorrow, but if I am there
I take back all I say --

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   A. Copland •   J. Coulthard 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Copland: "do"
2 Coulthard: "Hath", Copland: "Has"
3 Coulthard, Copland: "on"
4 Copland: "We"

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Quan elles retornin", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Quand elles reviennent, si les fleurs reviennent", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 98

Kehr’n sie zurück ‑ falls sie dies tun
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Kehr’n sie zurück - falls sie dies tun -
frag’ ich mich explizit,
ob Blüten wieder neu erblühn,
wenn sie einmal verblüht.

Ein neues Lied - falls es dies mag -
bange ist’s mir gewahr,
vielleicht war’s Kehlchens letztes Lied
vergang’nes Jahr.

Ist’s wieder Mai - falls er uns grüßt,
litt keiner eine Pein,
wenn sich sein schönes Angesicht
stellt strahlend wieder ein.

Stell ich mich ein - weiß man einst nicht,
wie ich erscheinen mag,
doch bin ich da, nehm' ich zurück
das Ganze, was ich sag.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2015 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Bertram Kottmann.  Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de

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Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2015-06-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 82