Scene on a Streetcar, 1910 | The dancer Eduardowa, a music lover

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by Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924)

Translation © by Laura Prichard

Szene in der Elektrischen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Die Tänzerin Eduardowa, eine Liebhaberin in der Musik, 
fährt wie Überall so auch 
in der Elektrischen in Begleitung zweier Violinisten, 
die sie häufig spielen läßt. 
Denn es besteht kein verbot, warum in der Elektrischen 
nicht gespielt werden dürfte, wenn das Spiel gut, 
den Mitfahrenden angenehm ist und nichts kostet, 
das heißt, wenn nachher nicht eingesammelt wird. 
Es ist allerdings im Anfang ein wenig überraschend, 
und ein Weilchen lang findet jeder, es sei unpassend. 
Aber bei voller Fahrt, starkem Luftzug 
und stiller Gasse klingt es hübsch.

Text Authorship:

by Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) [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 György Kurtág (b. 1926), "Szene in der Elektrischen", op. 24 no. 3l (1985-6) [ soprano and violin ], from Kafka-Fragmente, no. 3l [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Scene on a Streetcar, 1910", subtitle: "In a dream I asked the dancer Eduardowa if she would deign to dance the csárdás again", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Scène dans le tramway", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2009-05-20
Line count: 12
Word count: 85

Scene on a Streetcar, 1910

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The dancer Eduardowa, a music lover, 
goes everywhere including 
by streetcar in the company of two violinists, 
whom she frequently asks to play. 
There's no prohibition, on streetcars 
from playing, as long as the playing is good, 
pleases the passengers, and doesn't cost anything, 
meaning, no collection is taken up. 
It's all, in the beginning, a little surprising 
and for awhile, everyone considers it improper. 
But at full speed, with strong breezes 
and in a quiet street, it sounds pretty.

Subtitle: "In a dream I asked the dancer Eduardowa if she would deign to dance the csárdás again"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2020-01-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 80