In the East | Like the winter storm’s frenzied organs

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by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Im Osten

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Den wilden Orgeln des Wintersturms
Gleicht des Volkes finstrer Zorn,
Die purpurne Woge der Schlacht,
Entlaubter Sterne.

Mit zerbrochnen Brauen, silbernen Armen
Winkt sterbenden Soldaten die Nacht.
Im Schatten der herbstlichen Esche
Seufzen die Geister der Erschlagenen.

Dornige Wildnis umgürtet die Stadt.
Von blutenden Stufen jagt der Mond
Die erschrockenen Frauen.
Wilde Wölfe brachen durchs Tor.

Text Authorship:

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Im Osten", appears in Offenbarung und Untergang [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 Jan Stuten (1890 - 1948), "Im Osten", published 1940 [bass-baritone and piano], from In memoriam Georg Trakl, no. 3. [ sung text verified 1 time]

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

ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , title 1: "A est", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "À l'est", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , title 1: "In the East", 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: 12
Word count: 56

In the East

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Like the winter storm’s frenzied organs
is the people’s sable wrath,
the purple wave of the battle,
'tween stars, stripped of leaves.

With shattered brows, silvery arms
night beckons to dying soldiers.
In the shade of the autumn ash tree,
the ghosts of those groan who were slain.

Briary wilderness begirds the town.
The moon drives the terrified women
away from the bleeding steps.
Wild wolves broke through the gate.

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
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), "Im Osten", appears in Offenbarung und Untergang
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2017-01-18
Line count: 12
Word count: 70