Year | Dark stillness of childhood. Under greening ash trees

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by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Jahr

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Dunkle Stille der Kindheit. Unter grünenden Eschen
Weidet die Sanftmut bläulichen Blickes; goldene Ruh.
Ein Dunkles entzückt der Duft der Veilchen; schwankende Ähren
Im Abend, Samen und die goldenen Schatten der Schwermut.
Balken behaut der Zimmermann; im dämmernden Grund
Mahlt die Mühle; im Hasellaub wölbt sich ein purpurner Mund,
Männliches rot über schweigende Wasser geneigt.
Leise ist der Herbst, der Geist des Waldes; goldene Wolke
Folgt dem Einsamen, der schwarze Schatten des Enkels.
Neige in steinernem Zimmer; unter alten Zypressen
Sind der Tränen nächtige Bilder zum Quell versammelt;
Goldenes Auge des Anbeginns, dunkle Geduld des Endes.

Text Authorship:

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Jahr", written 1912-4, appears in Sebastian im Traum, in Gesang des Abgeschiedenen [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 Wolfgang Nening (b. 1966), "Jahr", 1996 [ low voice and string quartet ], from 4 Lieder nach Texten von Georg Trakl, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "Year", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Année", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2011-09-23
Line count: 12
Word count: 96

Year

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Dark stillness of childhood. Under greening ash trees 
the meekness grazes bluish-eyed; golden rest. 
A dark shape, beguiled by the scent of violets; swaying ears of corn 
in the evening, seed and the golden shadows of melancholy. 
The carpenter trims the beams; in the dusking valley 
the millstone grinds; a purple mouth bulges in hazel leaves, 
masculine, bent red over silent waters. 
Quiet is autumn, the spirit of the forest; a golden cloud 
follows the lonely one; the black shadow of the grandson. 
Decline in a stony chamber; under old cypress trees 
the tears’ nightly images are gathered in a well; 
golden eye of the beginning, dark patience of the end.

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), "Jahr", written 1912-4, appears in Sebastian im Traum, in Gesang des Abgeschiedenen
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2017-02-10
Line count: 12
Word count: 111