by
Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
I died for beauty, but was scarce
Language: English
Our translations: GER GER
I died for beauty, but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.
He questioned softly why I failed?
"For beauty," I replied.
"And I for truth, - the two are one;
We brethren are," he said.
And so, as kinsmen met a night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "I died for beauty ", 2010 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Of Time and Eternity, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "I died for beauty", alternate title: "Air", c1990 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert F. Baksa (b. 1938), "I died for beauty", published 1977, from Emily Dickinson Songs, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fania Chapiro (1926 - 1994), "I died for beauty", 1988, from Three songs of death, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henry Leland Clarke (1907 - 1992), "I died for beauty", 1963 [ medium voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Norman Dinerstein (b. 1937), "I died for beauty", published 1961 [ soprano and string quartet ], from Four Settings for Soprano and String Quartet, no. 4, New York, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harris Lindenfeld (b. 1945), "I died for beauty, but was scarce" [ soprano, e flat clarinet, and piano ], from 3 Dickinson Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Simon Sargon (b. 1938), "I died for beauty", 2000 [ voice and piano ], from Intimations of Mortality, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , no title, copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 70
Für Schönheit starb ich ‑ hatte kaum
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Für Schönheit starb ich - hatte kaum
aufs Grab mich eingestellt,
als jemand, der für Wahrheit starb,
seitlich sich beigesellt.
Er fragte sacht, woran ich blieb.
„Für Schönheit“ meinte ich.
„Und ich für Wahrheit, - da sie eins,
sind Brüder, du und ich.“
Im Plauderton, weil wir verwandt,
ging’s nachts von Wand zu Wand,
bis Moos die Lippen uns verschloss,
über die Namen spross.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2018-06-22
Line count: 12
Word count: 62
