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Es glüht im Fieber das graue Haus, Lichtstreifen fallen breit hinaus Auf [sommertrübe]1 Gassen; Es flammt der Saal von Kerzen ganz, Und wir beide tanzen den letzten Tanz, Eh' wir uns müssen lassen. Ich bin gezogen von Meer zu Meer, Und als ich heimkam, die Taschen schwer, Warst du die Braut eines andern; Die Spatzen riefen's von jedem Dach, Die Basen zischten und sprachen's nach: Das kommt vom Wandern, vom Wandern. Wir tanzen, als habe der Tod dich gepackt, Es fegt deine Schleppe spitzengezackt In welken Orangenzweigen, Schon geht der Zeiger auf Mitternacht, Dein junger Gemahl, er sieht's und lacht -- Es schluchzen so wild die Geigen . . Ich wollte, wir irrten im nordischen Land Von keinem geliebt, von keinem gekannt, Im Schneesturm über die Heide, Und daß du ruhtest unbewußt In meinem Mantel, an meiner Brust, Und daß wir stürben beide.
Confirmed with Dichtungen von Prinz Emil von Schönaich-Carolath, Eilfte und zwölfte Auflage, Leipzig, G. J. Göschen'sche Verlagshandlung, 1911, page 240 (above); also confirmed with Deutsche Lyrik seit Goethe's Tode. Ausgewählt von Maximilian Bern, Neue Ausgabe, Zwölfte, verbesserte Auflage, Leipzig, Druck und Verlag von Philipp Reclam, 1893, page 502 (see note 1).
1 Weingartner, the anthology Deutsche Lyric...: "sommeröden"Authorship:
- by Emil Rudolf Osman, Prinz von Schönaich-Carolath (1852 - 1908), "Letzter Tanz", subtitle: "Ballade" [author's text checked 2 times 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 Felix Paul Weingartner (1863 - 1942), "Letzter Tanz", op. 36 (4 Gesänge) no. 2 (1901-1903), published 1904 [ soprano and orchestra ], Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Erich Zeisl (1905 - 1959), "Letzter Tanz", 1931 [ baritone and piano ], from Liedercyklus, no. 3, unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Last dance", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (David A. Poirier) , "The last dance", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English [singable] (William Wallace) , "The last dance"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-07-23
Line count: 24
Word count: 142
The grey house glows brightly, Broad swaths of light fall from it Upon the summer bleached streets, The hall blazes with bright candles, And you and I dance the last dance Before we must part. I have struggled along my path from sea to sea, And when I arrived home with pockets full of money, You were the bride of another man; The sparrows crowed from every roof, Your relatives gossiped: That’s what happens when one wanders, wanders. In the grips of death we dance, So jagged is the hem of your dress Under wilted orange blossoms, Already the clock approaches midnight, Your young husband chuckles over it – The fiddles sob over these circumstances… I would be with you, even if we were lost in Nordic land Loved by no one, known by no one, In a snowstorm on the moors, And if you were unconscious, resting Wrapped in my coat, upon my breast, I would die with you.
Translator's notes
Stanza 1, line 1 : i.e., the candles burn in a loud or dramatic fashion, mimicking the way a material anneals a high temperature
Stanza 2, line 4 ("crowed") : Ridiculed or jeered: this holds a negative connotation
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 by David A. Poirier, (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 Emil Rudolf Osman, Prinz von Schönaich-Carolath (1852 - 1908), "Letzter Tanz", subtitle: "Ballade"
This text was added to the website: 2023-02-21
Line count: 24
Word count: 160