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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation © by Amelia Maria Imbarrato
Die Mitternacht zog näher schon;
Language: German (Deutsch)
Die Mitternacht zog näher schon; In stummer Ruh' lag Babylon. Nur oben in des Königs Schloß, Da flackert's, da lärmt des Königs Troß. Dort oben in dem Königsaal, Belsatzar hielt sein Königsmahl. Die Knechte saßen in schimmernden Reihn, Und leerten die Becher mit funkelndem Wein. Es klirrten die Becher, es jauchzten die Knecht'; So klang es dem störrigen Könige recht. Des Königs Wangen leuchten Glut; Im Wein erwuchs ihm kecker Mut. Und blindlings reißt der Mut ihn fort; Und er lästert die Gottheit mit sündigem Wort. Und er brüstet sich frech und lästert wild; Die Knechtenschar ihm Beifall brüllt. Der König rief mit stolzem Blick; Der Diener eilt und kehrt zurück. Er trug viel gülden Gerät auf dem Haupt; Das war aus dem Tempel Jehovas geraubt. Und der König ergriff mit frevler Hand Einen heiligen Becher, gefüllt bis am Rand. Und er leert ihn hastig bis auf den Grund Und rufet laut mit schäumendem Mund: «Jehova! dir künd' ich auf ewig Hohn - Ich bin der König von Babylon!» Doch kaum das grause Wort verklang, Dem König ward's heimlich im Busen bang. Das gellende Lachen verstummte zumal; Es wurde leichenstill im Saal. Und sieh! und sieh! an weißer Wand Da kam's hervor wie Menschenhand; Und schrieb, und schrieb an weißer Wand Buchstaben von Feuer, und schrieb und schwand. Der König stieren Blicks da saß, Mit schlotternden Knien und totenblaß. Die Knechtenschar saß kalt durchgraut, Und saß gar still, gab keinen Laut. Die Magier kamen, doch keiner verstand Zu deuten die Flammenschrift an der Wand. Belsazar ward aber in selbiger Nacht Von seinen Knechten umgebracht.
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Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Belsatzar", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Junge Leiden, in Romanzen, no. 10 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Belsazar", 2007 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Adolf Bauer (1877 - 1948), "Belsazar: Ballade - Heine zugeordnet" [sung text not yet checked]
- by L. (J.) von Beniczkzy-Gyra , "Belsazar", op. 23 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henriëtte Bosmans (1895 - 1952), "Belsazer", 1936, published 1948 [ alto and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinz Coenen (b. 1904), "Belsazar: Melodram von Heine", published 1946 [ speaker and string quartet ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard van Dieren (1887 - 1936), "Belsazar", published 1911 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Farber (b. 1945), "Balsatzar", 2010 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Wilhelm Franke (1862 - 1932), "Belsazar", op. 5 (Fünfzehn Lieder und Gesänge), Heft 2 no. 1, published 1891 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johannes Hager (1822 - 1898), "Belsazar", op. 59 (Zwei Balladen) no. 2 [ baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Heller (b. 1931), "Belsazar", 1956, published c1998 [ baritone and orchestra or piano ], from Zu Heine, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz von Holstein (1826 - 1878), "Belsazar", op. 4 (Drei Balladen) no. 2, published 1853 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Kämpfe , "Belsazar", op. 17 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincent de Leur , "Belsazar", 1986, published 2001, rev. 2001 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henk Luymes , "Die Mitternacht", 1977 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from 3 Heine-Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Willi von Möllendorf (1872 - 1934), "Die Mitternacht zog näher schon", op. 13 [sung text not yet checked]
- by L. Nathusius , "Belsazar", from Lieder-Album, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Alexander Nicolai (1795 - ?), "Belsazar", subtitle: "Ballade", op. 18, published 1870 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Schuberth und Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "Belsazer", op. 10 no. 1 (1911) [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alexander Ritter (1833 - 1896), "Belsazar", op. 8, published 1884 [ low voice and piano ], Würzburg, Ritter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Belsazar", subtitle: "Ballade", op. 57 (1840), published 1846 [ low voice and piano ], Leipzig, Siegel und Stoll [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Eugen Felix) Richard Thiele (1847 - 1903), "Belsazar", from Melodramatische Parodien klassischer Gedichte, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Thudichum (1866 - 1944), "Belsazar", op. 14 [sung text not yet checked]
- by A. Thudicum , "Belsazar", op. 8 no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felix Werder (b. 1922), "Die Mitternacht zog näher schon", op. 260, published 1988, first performed 1988, from a one-act opera (about 15 minutes long) [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Karel Dostál-Lutinov) , "Belsazar", first published 1917
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Belsatzar", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Belshazzar", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Balthazar", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Belsazar", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , copyright © 2016, (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: 42
Word count: 263
Belsazar
Language: Italian (Italiano) after the German (Deutsch)
La mezzanotte si avvicinava, in tacita calma stava Babilonia. Solo su nel castello del re, balenavano luci, schiamazzava la corte. Lassù nella sala del re Belsazar teneva il suo banchetto regale. I suoi uomini sedevano in splendidi seggi e vuotavano coppe di vino lucente. Tintinnavano le coppe, gridavano gli uomini; questi suoni piacciono all'empio sovrano. Le guance del re erano rosse; col vino gli cresceva l'impudente coraggio. E cieco orgoglio lo trascina a oltraggiare la divinità con parole blasfeme. E si vanta sfacciato, e bestemmia selvaggio; la corte scoppia in applausi. Il re chiama con sguardo fiero; il servo si affretta a venire da lui. Porta molti oggetti preziosi sulla testa, predati dal tempio di Jehova. E il re afferra con mano rapace una coppa sacra, piena fino all'orlo. E la vuota in un sorso, e grida forte, la schiuma alla bocca: "Jehova! Ti annuncio a tuo scherno eterno - Io sono il re di Babilonia!" Ma, appena risuonò la terribile parola, il re provò un'angoscia misteriosa. Le risate sguaiate tacquero di colpo, nella sala, silenzio di tomba. E guarda! Guarda! Sul muro bianco venne fuori qualcosa come una mano umana, e scrisse, e scrisse sul muro bianco lettere di fuoco, le scrisse e scomparve. Il re rimase a guardare fisso, gli tremavano i ginocchi, pallido come un morto. Gli uomini sedevano agghiacciati, inorriditi, in silenzio, senza dire parola. Vennero i magi, ma nessuno seppe spiegare lo scritto di fuoco sul muro. Ma Belsazar quella stessa notte dai suoi uomini fu assassinato.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2006 by Amelia Maria Imbarrato, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Amelia Maria Imbarrato. We have no current contact information for the copyright-holder.
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Belsatzar", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Junge Leiden, in Romanzen, no. 10
This text was added to the website: 2006-01-25
Line count: 42
Word count: 251