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Da lieg' ich denn, ohnmächtiger Geselle, Ins Loch geworfen, wie ein Strassenheld, Ein lärmender, von der Empörung Welle; Ein blinder Maulwurf im zerwühlten Feld! Wohlan, ich will, was kommen soll, erwarten, Es ist am End ein friedlich Wohnen hier; Ich fühle nicht die Glieder, die erstarrten, Doch heiter glimmt die stille Seele mir! Hätt ich nun einen ewigen Gedanken, An dem man endlos sich erproben mag, So möcht ich liegen in den engen Schranken, Behaglich sinnend bis zum Jüngsten Tag. Vielleicht, wer weiß, wüchs er zu solcher Größe, Daß er, in Kraft sich wandelnd, ein Vulkan, Im Flammenausbruch dieses Grab erschlösse, Vorleuchtend mir auf neuer Lebensbahn! Wie wundersam, wenn über meinem Haupte Der Abendtau die matten Blumen kühlt! Ob wohl lustwandelnd dann der Pfarrherr glaubte, Daß unter ihm ein Wetterleuchten spielt? Daß glänzend in des eignen Lichtes Strahlen Hier unten eine Menschenseele denkt? Vielleicht sind dieses der Verdammung Qualen: Geheim zu leuchten, ewiglich versenkt!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890), no title, appears in Gesammelte Gedichte, in Lebendig begraben, no. 2 [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 Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Da lieg' ich denn, ohnmächtiger Geselle", op. 40 no. 2 (1926) [bass or baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra], from Lebendig begraben: 14 Gesänge nach der gleichnamigen Gedichtfolge von Gottfried Keller, no. 2, Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Martin Stock) , title 1: "Here I lie now, helpless fellow", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "Alors je suis étendu ici, impuissant compagnon", copyright © 2010, (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: 24
Word count: 154
Here I lie now, helpless fellow, Thrown, like a yelling highwayman, Into the pit by a storm of indignation; A blind mole in a ploughed-up field. Well then, I will wait for what has to come, 'Cause, in the end, I'm dwelling calmly here, I do not feel my stiffened limbs now, But my calm soul is glowing gaily. If only I had one eternal thought, Worth pondering on for ever and ever, I would be content within these narrow limits, Snugly musing until Judgement Day. Perhaps - who knows - it might grow to such extent That, turning into vigour, a volcano, It would capture this grave in an outburst of flames, Thus shedding light onto the path of my new life! Amazing thought: When above my head the evening dew cools lifeless flowers - Would the priest, taking a stroll, know that there was a summer lightning beneath his feet? That down here, glowing in its own light's radiation, a human soul was thinking? Perhaps this is damnation's agony: To glow secretly, forever buried!
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2004 by Martin Stock, (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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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890), no title, appears in Gesammelte Gedichte, in Lebendig begraben, no. 2
This text was added to the website: 2004-04-10
Line count: 24
Word count: 176