Clouds | In the night sky

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by Hugo Hofmann, Edler von Hofmannsthal (1874 - 1929)

Translation © by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947)

Wolken

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Am nächtigen Himmel
Ein Drängen und Dehnen,
Wolkengewimmel
In hastigen Sehnen,

In lautloser Hast
- Von welchem Zug
Gebietend erfaßt? -
Gleitet ihr Flug,

Es schwankt gigantisch
Im Mondesglanz
Auf meiner Seele
Ihr Schattentanz,

Wogende Bilder,
Kaum noch begonnen,
Wachsen sie wilder,
Sind sie zerronnen,

Ein loses Schweifen . . .
Ein Halb-Veerstehn . . .
Ein Flüchtig-Ergreifen . . .
Ein Weiterwehn . . .

Ein lautoses Gleiten,
Ledig der Schwere,
Durch aller Weiten
Blauende Leere.

Text Authorship:

by Hugo Hofmann, Edler von Hofmannsthal (1874 - 1929) [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), "Wolken", 2003 [ soprano and piano ], from Drei Lieder von Hugo von Hofmannsthal, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Robert Lillinger (b. 1990), "Wolken", 2017 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Hugo von Hofmannsthal , no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "Clouds", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-13
Line count: 24
Word count: 75

Clouds

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

In the night sky
a pressing and stretching,
teeming clouds
in rushing longing,

in hurrying strings,
in silent haste
- in what pull
commandingly caught? -

it swayed gigantic
in the moon's shine
and on my soul was
its shadow dance,

heaving pictures,
hardly begun,
lengthening wildly,
are vanishing,

A loose tail...
A half-understood...
A fleeting grasping...
A further blown...

A soundless sliding,
Free of weight,
Through all expanse
bluely empty.

Text Authorship:

by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Clouds", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hugo Hofmann, Edler von Hofmannsthal (1874 - 1929)
- Go to the text page.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-11
Line count: 24
Word count: 69