by
Benno Geiger (1882 - 1965)
Das Lied der Frauen
Language: German (Deutsch)
Die Frauen tragen, wenn ihr Tag verklungen,
ein müdes Lächeln auf dem leisen Munde
und horchen durch die Dämmerungen
der schönen Jugend auf den Schall der Stunde!
Die Frauen zünden, wenn sie nicht mehr hoffen,
die Kronenleuchter, und das Licht ist schwächer,
sie schweben schweigend vor den Seidenstoffen
und Spritzenränden durch die Prunkgemächer.
Die Frauen wüßten, wenn es spät geworden,
zu lieben wie sie nicht zu lieben wußten,
als es für sie noch nicht zu spät geworden,
noch nicht zu spät und sie zu lieben wußten.
Die Frauen singen, wenn ihr Lied verschollen,
mit halber Stimme die verschollnen Lieder,
und vor den Wünschen, die da weilen wollen,
und vor dem Traum erstehn die Träume wieder.
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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):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The song of the women", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2011-08-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 115
The song of the women
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
When their day has faded away, the women wear
A tired smiling upon their quiet lips
And, through the twilights of lovely youth,
They listen to the tolling of the hour!
The women, when they no longer hope, set alight
The candelabras, and the light is fainter,
And, silent before the silks and lace borders,
They float through the splendid chambers.
When it has grown late, the women would know how to love
As they did not know how to love
When it had not yet grown too late for them,
Not yet too late and they knew how to love.
When their song has faded away, the women sing
The lost songs mezza voce,
And as a result of the wishes that want to linger,
And as a result of the dream, the dreams arise again.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2015 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:
This text was added to the website: 2015-10-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 138