Pierrot in the Noose | So I saw you last night under the lantern

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by Richard von Schaukal (1874 - 1942)

Translation © by Laura Prichard

Pierrot pendu

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Und ich sah dich nachts an der Laterne:
bleich und traurig hingst du, Pierrot,
trübe schimmerten die späten Sterne,
als der Mond, dein alter Freund, entfloh.
 
Da im Gassendunkel deine Züge
schmerzlich schienen und gedankenbang,
sann ich über deines Lebens Lüge,
armer Narr am selbstgeknüpften Strang.
 
Ach ich hab’ dich nicht herabgeschnitten,
rührte leise nur an deiner Hand…
Husch ! ein Schatten war hinweggeglitten,
der verstohlen mir im Rücken stand.

Confirmed with Richard Schaukal, Bilder der ausgewählten Gedichte, Munich: Georg Müller, 1909, page 29.

Notes provided by Laura Prichard
Stanza 1, line 1: the puppet is found hanging from a lantern.
Stanza 1, line 2: Pierrot is a Commedia dell’arte character, a puppet also called Punch (English) and Petrushka (Russian).

Text Authorship:

by Richard von Schaukal (1874 - 1942), "Pierrot pendu" [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 Henk Bijvanck (1909 - 1969), "Pierrot pendu", copyright © 1958 [ bass and piano ], from Drei Balladen, no. 3, Amsterdam: Donemus [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Pierrot in the Noose", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2023-08-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 69

Pierrot in the Noose

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

So I saw you last night under the lantern:
pale and sad, you hung, Pierrot;
dimly shimmered the midnight stars,
while your old friend, the moon, fled.
 
There in the dark alley, your gestures
seemed painful and frightened;
I pondered your life’s failings,
poor fool [hanging] on a self-tied noose.
 
Ah, I didn’t cut you down,
but only gently touched your hand.
Whoosh! a shadow floated off,
slinking away behind me.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 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 Richard von Schaukal (1874 - 1942), "Pierrot pendu"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-08-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 71