Earth, Old Man of the Planets | Earth, Old Man of the Planets, you suck at my foot

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by Nelly Sachs (1891 - 1970)

Translation © by John Glenn Paton

Erde, Planetengreis

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Erde, Planetengreis, du saugst an meinem Fuß,
der fliegen will,
o König Lear mit der Einsamkeit im Arme.
 
Nach innen weinst du mit den Meeresaugen
die Leidenstrümmer
in die Seelenwelt.
 
Auf deiner Silberlocken Jahrmillionen
der Erdrauchkranz, Wahnsinn gestirnt
im Brandgeruch.
 
Und deine Kinder,
die schon deinen Todesschatten werfen,
da du dich drehst und drehst
auf deiner Sternenstelle,
Milchstraßenbettler
mit dem Wind als Blindenhund.

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Text Authorship:

by Nelly Sachs (1891 - 1970) [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 Hermann Reutter (1900 - 1985), "Erde, Planetengreis", 1972, published c1973 [ medium voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , "Earth, Old Man of the Planets", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: John Glenn Paton [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-08-06
Line count: 15
Word count: 63

Earth, Old Man of the Planets

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Earth, Old Man of the Planets, you suck at my foot,
which wants to fly,
o King Lear, with loneliness in your embrace.
 
Inwardly, you weep with your sea eyes
the rubble of suffering
into the world of the soul within.
 
On the millennia of your silver locks
the wreathed smoke of earth, crowned with madness
in the smell of burning.
 
And your children,
who already cast the shadow of your death,
while you turn and turn around
in your starry place,
beggar of the Milky Way,
with the wind for your guide-dog.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2009 by John Glenn Paton, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Nelly Sachs (1891 - 1970)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-08-06
Line count: 15
Word count: 93