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by Gottfried Benn (1886 - 1956)

Gedicht
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Und was bedeuten diese Zwänge,
halb Bild, halb Wort und halb Kalkül,
was ist in dir,
woher die Dränge
aus stillem traürnden Gefühl?

Es strömt dir aus dem Nichts zusammen
aus Einzelnem, aus Potpourri,
dort nimmst du Asche, dort die Flamme,
du streust und löschst und hütest sie.

Du weißt, du kannst nicht alles fassen,
umgrenze es, den grünen Zaun
um dies und das,
du bleibst gelassen,
doch auch gebannt in Missvertraun.

So Tag und Nacht
bist du am Zuge,
auch sonntags meisselst du dich ein
und klopfst das Silber in die Fuge,
dann lässt du es -- es ist: das Sein.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Text Authorship:

  • by Gottfried Benn (1886 - 1956), appears in Aprèslude, first published 1955 [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 Boris Blacher (1903 - 1975), "Gedicht", op. 57 no. 1, from Aprèslude, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (John H. Campbell) , "Poem", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: John H. Campbell

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 101

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