by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Skizzenblatt
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Kalt knistert Herbstwind im dürren Rohr,
Das im Abend ergraut ist;
Krähen flattern vom Weidenbaume landeinwärts.

Einsam steht und rastet am Strande ein alter Mann,
Spürt den Wind im Haar, die Nacht und nahenden Schnee,
Blickt vom Schattenufer ins Lichte hinüber,
Wo zwischen Wolken und See ein Streifen
Fernsten Strandes noch warm im Lichte leuchtet:
Goldenes Jenseits, selig wie Traum und Dichtung. 

Fest im Auge hält er das leuchtende Bild,
Denkt der Heimat, denkt seiner guten Jahre,
Sieht das Gold erbleichen, sieht es erlöschen,
Wendet sich ab und wandert
Langsam vom Weidenbaume landeinwärts.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 378-379.


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):

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Sketch", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-05-07
Line count: 14
Word count: 93

Sketch
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
The autumn wind rattles coldly in the thin reeds,
Which became grey in the evening;
Crows flutter away from the willow into the land.

An old man stands solitary and rests at the shore,
Feels the wind in his hair, the night and the approaching snow,
Gazes across from the shady shore into the light,
Where between clouds and lake a stripe
Of the most distant land still glows warmly in light:
The golden beyond, as blissful as dream and poem.

He keeps the shining image firmly in his eye,
Thinks of his homeland, thinks of his good years,
Sees the gold pale, sees it become extinguished,
Turns away and wanders
Slowly away from the willow into the land.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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This text was added to the website: 2018-12-07
Line count: 14
Word count: 119