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In Hof scheint weiß der herbstliche Mond. Vom Dachrand fallen phantastische Schatten. Ein Schweigen in leeren Fenstern wohnt; Da tauchen leise herauf die Ratten Und huschen pfeifend hier und dort Und ein gräulicher Dunsthauch wittert Ihnen nach aus dem Abort, Den geisterhaft der Mondschein durchzittert Und sie keifen vor Gier wie toll Und erfüllen Haus und Scheunen, Die von Korn und Früchten voll. Eisige Winde im Dunkel greinen.
Authorship
- by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Die Ratten", appears in Gedichte 1909 -1913 [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 Stefan Heucke , "Die Ratten", op. 1 no. 2 (1978/80) [ high voice and string quintet ], from Drei Gesänge nach Gedichten von Georg Trakl, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Steffen Schleiermacher (b. 1960), "Die Ratten", 1984/5 [ chorus a cappella ], from Vier Chöre nach Gedichten von Georg Trakl, no. 3, Deutscher Verlag für Musik [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "The rats", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Les rats", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "I topi", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-10-29
Line count: 12
Word count: 68
The autumn moon shines milk-white in the yard. Chimeric shadows fall from eaves and crests. A silence dwells in empty windows; then furtively the rats appear and scurry whistling here and there and a grayish vapour scents them following them from the latrine, on which the moonlight quivers eerily and they shriek as if mad from greed and crowd barns and houses, full of grain and fruit. Icy winds whine in the darkness.
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:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), "Die Ratten", appears in Gedichte 1909 -1913
This text was added to the website: 2018-11-28
Line count: 12
Word count: 73