by
Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)
Nachts
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): ENG ENG FRE ITA
Die Bläue meiner Augen ist erloschen in dieser Nacht,
Das rote Gold meines Herzens. O! wie stille brannte das Licht.
Dein blauer Mantel umfing den Sinkenden;
Dein roter Mund besiegelte des Freundes Umnachtung.
Confirmed with Georg Trakl, Das dichterische Werk, München, 1972, page 56.
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 (Elisabeth Siekhaus) , "At night", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "At night", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La nuit", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "A notte", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Jeroen Scholten
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 4
Word count: 33
At night
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
The blue of my eyes has faded this night
the red gold of my heart. Oh how silently burnt the light.
Your blue cloak encircled the sinking one;
your red mouth sealed the friend's enshroudment.
Editor's Note: The dictionary definition of "Umnachtung" is "derangement", but in the
context of Trakl's death imagery and the word's own roots, it can be
taken as more of a "night circling around" or "night closing in".
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 by Elisabeth Siekhaus, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2008-04-04
Line count: 4
Word count: 35