Sonja | Evening sinks on ancient garden

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Sonja

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Abend kehrt in alten Garten;
Sonjas Leben, blaue Stille.
Wilder Vögel Wanderfahrten;
Kahler Baum in Herbst und Stille.

Sonnenblume, sanftgeneigte
Über Sonjas weißes Leben.
Wunde, rote, niegezeigte
Läßt in dunklen Zimmern leben,

Wo die blauen Glocken läuten;
Sonjas Schritt und sanfte Stille.
Sterbend Tier grüßt im Entgleiten,
Kahler Baum in Herbst und Stille.

Sonne alter Tage leuchtet
Über Sonjas weiße Brauen,
Schnee, der ihre Wangen feuchtet,
Und die Wildnis ihrer Brauen.

Text Authorship:

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Sonja", appears in Sebastian im Traum, in Der Herbst des Einsamen [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 Heimo Erbse (1924 - 2005), "Sonja", op. 27 no. 2, published 1971 [ baritone and orchestra ], from Fünf Orchestergesänge nach Georg Trakl für Bariton und Orchester, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Sonja", 1993 [ tenor and piano ], from Trakl-Lieder I, no. 4, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "Sonja", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Sonia", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-03-05
Line count: 16
Word count: 71

Sonja

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Evening sinks on ancient garden;
Sonja’s being, deep blue stillness.
Birds of passage on their wanderings;
balding tree in autumn stillness.

Sunflow’r, bent in gentle manner 
over Sonja’s life of whiteness.
Wound, still red and ne’er revealèd,
makes her live in darkened chambers,

where the azure bells are ringing;
Sonja’s step and gentle stillness.
Dying beast greets in deceasing,
balding tree in autumn stillness.

Sun of bygone days is gleaming
over Sonja’s brows of whiteness,
snowflakes, that her cheeks have moistened
and her wildly growing brows.

Text 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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Sonja", appears in Sebastian im Traum, in Der Herbst des Einsamen
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-06-20
Line count: 16
Word count: 86