To the boy Elis | Elis, when the blackbird calls in the black wood

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by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

An den Knaben Elis

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Elis, wenn die Amsel im schwarzen Wald ruft,
Dieses ist dein Untergang.
Deine Lippen trinken die Kühle des blauen Felsenquells.
 
Laß, wenn deine Stirne leise blutet
Uralte Legenden
Und dunkle Deutung des Vogelflugs.
 
Du aber gehst mit weichen Schritten in die Nacht,
Die voll purpurner Trauben hängt,
Und du regst die Arme schöner im Blau.
 
Ein Dornenbusch tönt,
Wo deine mondenen Augen sind.
O, wie lange bist, Elis, du verstorben.
 
Dein Leib ist eine Hyazinthe,
In die ein Mönch die wächsernen Finger taucht.
Eine schwarze Höhle ist unser Schweigen,
 
Daraus bisweilen ein sanftes Tier tritt
Und langsam die schweren Lider senkt.
Auf deine Schläfen tropft schwarzer Tau,

Das letzte Gold verfallener Sterne.

Text Authorship:

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "An den Knaben Elis", appears in Sebastian im Traum, in Sebastian im Traum [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 Jacques G. Goosen (b. 1952), "An den Knaben Elis", 1976, from Georg-Trakl-Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by León Schidlowsky (b. 1931), "An den Knaben Elis", 1992 [ mixed chorus and percussion ] [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "To the boy Elis ", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "À l'enfant Elis", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Al fanciullo Elis", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2008-08-15
Line count: 19
Word count: 112

To the boy Elis

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Elis, when the blackbird calls in the black wood, 
you are doomed. 
Your lips sip the coolness of the blue rock spring. 

Refrain, when your forehead softly bleeds 
ancient legends 
and a cryptic reading of the auspices. 

You, however, step softly into the night,
that is heavy with purple grapes, 
and you move your arms more beautifully in the blue.

A thorn bush sounds, 
where your moon eyes are.
O, how long, Elis, you have been dead.

Your body is a hyacinth,
into which a monk dips his waxen fingers.
A black cave is our silence, 

from which at times a soft animal steps 
and slowly lowers its heavy eyelids. 
On your temples black dew drips, 

the last gold of collapsing stars.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 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), "An den Knaben Elis", appears in Sebastian im Traum, in Sebastian im Traum
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-11-20
Line count: 19
Word count: 122