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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:
- by Benno Geiger (1882 - 1965) [author's text not yet checked 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 Elisabeth Schultz (1846 - 1926), as E. Adaïewsky, "Das Lied der Frauen", published 1912 [ voice and piano ], from 24 Präludien für Singstimme und Klavier, no. 5, Leipzig: C.F. Kahnt Nachfolger [sung text checked 1 time]
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 [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-08-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 115
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:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Benno Geiger (1882 - 1965)
This text was added to the website: 2015-10-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 138