by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
Translation © by Thomas Schubert (b. 1961)

Tyger Tyger, burning bright
Language: English 
Available translation(s): CAT FRE GER RUS
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,  
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?  

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?  
On what wings dare he aspire?  
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?  

What the hammer? what the chain,  
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!  

When the stars threw down their spears  
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:  
What immortal hand or eye,  
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

About the headline (FAQ)

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):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El tigre", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le tigre", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , "Der Tiger", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Thomas Schubert) , "Der Tiger", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • RUS Russian (Русский) [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov) , "Тигр", copyright ©, (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: 24
Word count: 143

Der Tiger
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Tiger! Tiger! Hell entbrannt
in den Urwäldern der Nacht,
welch unsterblich' Hand oder Auge
konnte deine furchtbare Symmetrie formen?

In was für fernen Tiefen oder Höhen
ist das Feuer deiner Augen entbrannt?
Was für Flügel konnten ihn beschwingen,
welche Hand es wagen, das Feuer zu bändigen?

Und wessen Schulter und Kunstfertigkeit
vermochte die Sehnen deines Herzens zu winden?
Und als dein Herz zu schlagen begann,
Welch furchterregende Glieder?

Wessen Hammer? Welche Kette?
In welcher Feueresse wurde dein Hirn gegossen?
Welcher Amboß? Und welch gewaltiger Griff
konnte seinen tödlichen Schrecken erfassen.

Als Sterne ihre Strahlen herabschleuderten
und ihren Tränen auf die Erde ergossen,
hat er lächelnd seines Werkes gedacht,
hat er, der das Lamm schuf, auch dich erschaffen?

Tiger! Tiger! Hell entbrannt
in der Urwäldern der Nacht,
welch unsterblich' Hand oder Auge
brachte deine furchtbare Symmetrie zustande?

Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this text: Maria Nimmerfall

This text was added to the website: 2010-11-05
Line count: 24
Word count: 136