Passion of becoming | The house trembles under a sudden jolt

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by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Werdelust

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

In jähem Stoße erbebt das Haus,
Die Scheiben ächzen und stöhnen,
In fahlen Lüften ein dumpf Gebraus,
Die Wolken jagen, der Sturm holt aus
In lang gezogenen Tönen.

Er wühlt die Fluthen des Stromes auf,
Sie steigen gurgelnd und schäumen . . .
Er eilt in tollem, verwegenem Lauf
Des Berges schwindelnden Hang hinauf
Und reißt an den zitternden Bäumen.

Du sturmgewaltige Werdelust --
Ja, tose nur, tolle und wüthe!
Zerstöre, was du zerstören mußt --
Dann aber steck an die Erdenbrust
Des Frühlings schimmernde Blüthe!

Confirmed with Anna Ritter, Befreiung. Neue Gedichte, Fünfte Auflage, Stuttgart: J.G. Cotta'sche Buchhandlung Nachfolger, 1900, page 231.

Text Authorship:

by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Werdelust", appears in Befreiung. Neue Gedichte, in 7. Vom Sturm, no. 5 [author's text checked 1 time 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 von Glenck (1883 - 1952), "Werdelust", op. 1 (Vier Lieder) no. 2 (1901) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Passion of becoming", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2017-01-11
Line count: 15
Word count: 84

Passion of becoming

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The house trembles under a sudden jolt,
The windowpanes creak and moan,
There is a dull roar in the wan breezes,
The clouds scud hurriedly, in long-drawn-out sounds 
The storm gets set to strike.

It agitates the waters of the river,
Gurgling and foaming they rise . . .
It pursues a madcap, reckless course
Up the mountain's dizzying slope
And tears at the trembling trees.

You stormily-powerful passion of becoming --
Yes, only rage, romp, and rampage!
Destroy what you must destroy --
But then upon the earth's bosom place
The shimmering blossom of springtime!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Werdelust", appears in Befreiung. Neue Gedichte, in 7. Vom Sturm, no. 5
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-01-17
Line count: 15
Word count: 94