by (Michael Julius) Otto Engelhardt (1847 - 1927)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Abenddämmerung
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Jüngst in der Dämm'rung fuhr ich 
An einem See entlang, 
Laut durch die öde Stille  
Tönt eines Hornes Klang. 

Da war's mir, als [entfliege]1 
Dem See ein holdes Weib 
Mit langen, goldnen Strähnen 
Und schlankem Schwanenleib. 

Es hub nun an zu singen 
Ein Lied so wundervoll, 
Daß mir dabei die Seele 
In süßem [Schauer]2 schwoll. 

Ein wunderseltsam Sehnen 
Durch ihre Tiefen ging, 
Und sieh'!  an meiner Wimper 
Eine heiße Thräne hing. 

Ich sah die Nixe winken 
Nach mir noch lange Zeit. 
Mein Sinnen war verloren 
In die Vergangenheit.  

Ich träumt' noch einmal wieder 
Zerronn'nen Liebestraum. 
Das Horn war längst verklungen  --  
Ich aber merkt es kaum.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   W. Kleinecke 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Über Land und Meer: allgemeine illustrierte Zeitung. 42. Band; einundzwanzigster Jahrgang, zweiter Band, ed. by Ernst Schubert, Stuttgart und Leipzig: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1879, page 1008. Appears in issue no. 51, in Dichterstimmen aus der Gegenwart.

1 Kleinecke: "entstiege"
2 Kleinecke: "Zauber"

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) , "Evening twilight", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Crépuscule", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website: 2022-07-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 107

Evening twilight
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Recently at twilight I travelled
Along a lake,
Loudly through the desolate quietness
The sound of a horn rang out.

Thereupon it seemed to me as if
A lovely woman were [flying forth]1 from the lake.
With long, gold strands [of hair]
And a slender, swan-like body.

She began to sing
A song so wondrous
That, hearing it, my soul began 
To swell in sweet [shivering]2.

A wondrously strange yearning
Passed through the depths [of my soul],
And lo! upon my lashes
An ardent tear was suspended.

I saw the Nixie beckoning me
For a long time afterwards yet.
My thoughts were lost
In the past.

I dreamt once more again
A dream of love that had dissolved.
The sound of the horn had long since dissipated --
But I hardly noticed it.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Kleinecke: "rising"
2 Kleinecke: "enchantment"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 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: 2024-10-04
Line count: 24
Word count: 135