by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)
Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Sommer
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Available translation(s): ENG ENG FRE ITA
Am Abend schweigt die Klage
Des Kuckucks im Wald.
Tiefer neigt sich das Korn,
Der rote Mohn.

Schwarzes Gewitter droht
Über dem Hügel.
Das alte Lied der Grille
Erstirbt im Feld.

Nimmer regt sich das Laub
Der Kastanie.
Auf der Wendeltreppe
Rauscht dein Kleid.

Stille leuchtet die Kerze
Im dunklen Zimmer;
Eine silberne Hand
Löschte sie aus;
Windstille, sternlose Nacht.

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 (Walter A. Aue) , "Summer", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "Summer", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Été", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Estate", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Harry Joelson

This text was added to the website: 2007-07-29
Line count: 17
Word count: 60

Summer
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
At night-fall the cuckoo’s wail
subsides in the woods.
Deeper bends down the corn,
the red poppy.

Black thunderstorm’s threat
o’er the hilltop.
The old song of the cricket
dies in the field.

No longer the chestnut’s
foliage stirs.
On the spiral staircase
your dress rustles.

Calmly the candle gives light
in the dark chamber;
a silvery hand
extinguished it;
windless and starless night.

Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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

    If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:

Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2016-06-20
Line count: 17
Word count: 64