I died for beauty, but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.
He questioned softly why I failed?
"For beauty," I replied.
"And I for truth, - the two are one;
We brethren are," he said.
And so, as kinsmen met a night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
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), "I died for beauty ", 2010 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Of Time and Eternity, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "I died for beauty", alternate title: "Air", c1990 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert F. Baksa (b. 1938), "I died for beauty", published 1977, from Emily Dickinson Songs, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fania Chapiro (1926 - 1994), "I died for beauty", 1988, from Three songs of death, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henry Leland Clarke (1907 - 1992), "I died for beauty", 1963 [ medium voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Norman Dinerstein (b. 1937), "I died for beauty", published 1961 [ soprano and string quartet ], from Four Settings for Soprano and String Quartet, no. 4, New York, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harris Lindenfeld (b. 1945), "I died for beauty, but was scarce" [ soprano, e flat clarinet, and piano ], from 3 Dickinson Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Simon Sargon (b. 1938), "I died for beauty", 2000 [ voice and piano ], from Intimations of Mortality, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , no title, copyright © 2018, (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: 12
Word count: 70
Ich starb für Schönheit -- doch ich war
in's Grab gekommen kaum,
als einer, der für Wahrheit starb
kam in den nächsten Raum --
"Wofür gescheitert'?", fragt' Er sacht.
"Für Schönheit", sage Ich --
"Und ich -- für Wahrheit -- Gleiches macht
Geschwister uns" -- Er spricht.
Und als Verwandte -- nachtbekannt --
der Raum manch' Zwiesprach' weckt --
bis Moos die Lippen uns erreicht --
die Namen -- uns bedeckt --
