Mankind | Mankind deployed in front of fiery gorges

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by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Menschheit

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Menschheit vor Feuerschlünden aufgestellt,
Ein Trommelwirbel, dunkler Krieger Stirnen,
Schritte durch Blutnebel; schwarzes Eisen schellt,
Verzweiflung, Nacht in traurigen Gehirnen:
Hier Evas Schatten, Jagd und rotes Geld.
Gewölk, das Licht durchbricht, das Abendmahl.
Es wohnt in Brot und Wein ein sanftes Schweigen
Und jene sind versammelt zwölf an Zahl.
Nachts schrein im Schlaf sie unter Ölbaumzweigen;
Sankt Thomas taucht die Hand ins Wundenmal.

Text Authorship:

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Menschheit", appears in Gedichte 1909 -1913 [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 Jan Stuten (1890 - 1948), "Menschheit", published 1940 [bass-baritone and piano], from In memoriam Georg Trakl, no. 2. [ sung text verified 1 time]

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

ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , title 1: "Umanità", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "Humanité", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , title 1: "Mankind", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson

This text was added to the website: 2007-07-29
Line count: 10
Word count: 63

Mankind

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Mankind deployed in front of fiery gorges, 
a drum roll, dark warriors' foreheads, 
footsteps through blood and fog; black iron rattles, 
desperateness, night in mournful brains: 
Here Eve's shadow, chase and blood-red money. 
Clouds, through which light pierces, the Last Supper. 
A noble stillness dwells in bread and wine 
and those have gathered, twelve in number. 
At night they scream in sleep beneath the olive branches. 
Saint Thomas thrusts his hand into the wounded side.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2017 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:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Menschheit", appears in Gedichte 1909 -1913
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2017-01-18
Line count: 10
Word count: 75