Marschblumen | Hier senkt der Eibisch seine schleim’gen Wurzeln ab

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by George Crabbe (1754 - 1832)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Marsh flowers

Language: English

Our translations: CAT DUT GER

Here the strong mallow strikes her slimy root,
Here the dull night-shade hangs her deadly fruit;

On hills of dust the henbane's faded green,
And pencill'd flower of sickly scent is seen;

Here on its wiry stem, in rigid bloom,
Grows the salt lavender that lacks perfume.

At the wall's base the fiery nettle springs,
With fruit globose and fierce with poison'd stings;

In every chink delights the fern to grow,
With glossy leaf and tawny bloom below:

The few dull flowers that o'er the place are spread
Partake the nature of their fenny bed.

These, with our sea-weeds, rolling up and down,
Form the contracted Flora of our town.

Text Authorship:

by George Crabbe (1754 - 1832) [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Marsh flowers", 1950, from Five Flower Songs, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Les flors de l’aiguamoll", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pauline Kroger) , "Moerasbloemen", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Marschblumen", copyright © 2020, (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: 14
Word count: 110

Marschblumen

Language: German (Deutsch) after the English

Hier senkt der Eibisch seine schleim’gen Wurzeln ab, 
hier reift des Wasserfenchels Frucht - sie führt ins Grab;

Auf staub’gen Hügeln man das Bilsenkraut erblickt,
dess’ welke Blüt’ noch einen schwachen Duft ausschickt; 

auf draht’gem Stil die Blüt des Halligflieders steht,
von der kein eigner Blütenduft ausgeht. 

Am Mauersockel man die Brennnessel antrifft,
kugligen Blütenstands und Brennhaar voller Gift;

Spalten und Ritzen gern der Farn zum Standort hat,
sein Nährblatt, glänzend grün, und braun sein Sporenblatt:

In den paar simplen Blumen, die an diesem Ort,
pflanzt sich das Wesen dieses Marschlands fort.

Sie wogen wie das Seegras, das sich hebt und senkt
und sind, worauf sich unsres Ortes Pflanzenreich beschränkt.

Text Authorship:

Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2020 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 English by George Crabbe (1754 - 1832)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2020-02-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 109