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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation © by Emily Ezust
Die Mitternacht zog näher schon;
Language: German (Deutsch)
Die Mitternacht zog näher schon; In stummer Ruh' lag Babylon. Nur oben in des Königs Schloß, Da flackert's, da lärmt des Königs Troß. Dort oben in dem Königsaal, Belsatzar hielt sein Königsmahl. Die Knechte saßen in schimmernden Reihn, Und leerten die Becher mit funkelndem Wein. Es klirrten die Becher, es jauchzten die Knecht'; So klang es dem störrigen Könige recht. Des Königs Wangen leuchten Glut; Im Wein erwuchs ihm kecker Mut. Und blindlings reißt der Mut ihn fort; Und er lästert die Gottheit mit sündigem Wort. Und er brüstet sich frech und lästert wild; Die Knechtenschar ihm Beifall brüllt. Der König rief mit stolzem Blick; Der Diener eilt und kehrt zurück. Er trug viel gülden Gerät auf dem Haupt; Das war aus dem Tempel Jehovas geraubt. Und der König ergriff mit frevler Hand Einen heiligen Becher, gefüllt bis am Rand. Und er leert ihn hastig bis auf den Grund Und rufet laut mit schäumendem Mund: «Jehova! dir künd' ich auf ewig Hohn - Ich bin der König von Babylon!» Doch kaum das grause Wort verklang, Dem König ward's heimlich im Busen bang. Das gellende Lachen verstummte zumal; Es wurde leichenstill im Saal. Und sieh! und sieh! an weißer Wand Da kam's hervor wie Menschenhand; Und schrieb, und schrieb an weißer Wand Buchstaben von Feuer, und schrieb und schwand. Der König stieren Blicks da saß, Mit schlotternden Knien und totenblaß. Die Knechtenschar saß kalt durchgraut, Und saß gar still, gab keinen Laut. Die Magier kamen, doch keiner verstand Zu deuten die Flammenschrift an der Wand. Belsazar ward aber in selbiger Nacht Von seinen Knechten umgebracht.
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Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Belsatzar", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Junge Leiden, in Romanzen, no. 10 [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), "Belsazar", 2007 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Adolf Bauer (1877 - 1948), "Belsazar: Ballade - Heine zugeordnet" [sung text not yet checked]
- by L. (J.) von Beniczkzy-Gyra , "Belsazar", op. 23 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henriëtte Bosmans (1895 - 1952), "Belsazer", 1936, published 1948 [ alto and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinz Coenen (b. 1904), "Belsazar: Melodram von Heine", published 1946 [ speaker and string quartet ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard van Dieren (1887 - 1936), "Belsazar", published 1911 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Farber (b. 1945), "Balsatzar", 2010 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Wilhelm Franke (1862 - 1932), "Belsazar", op. 5 (Fünfzehn Lieder und Gesänge), Heft 2 no. 1, published 1891 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johannes Hager (1822 - 1898), "Belsazar", op. 59 (Zwei Balladen für Bariton oder Mezzo-Sopran mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1891 [ baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano ], Wien, Rosé [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Heller (b. 1931), "Belsazar", 1956, published c1998 [ baritone and orchestra or piano ], from Zu Heine, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz von Holstein (1826 - 1878), "Belsazar", op. 4 (Drei Balladen) no. 2, published 1853 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Kämpfe , "Belsazar", op. 17 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincent de Leur , "Belsazar", 1986, published 2001, rev. 2001 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henk Luymes , "Die Mitternacht", 1977 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from 3 Heine-Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Willi von Möllendorf (1872 - 1934), "Die Mitternacht zog näher schon", op. 13 [sung text not yet checked]
- by L. Nathusius , "Belsazar", from Lieder-Album, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Alexander Nicolai (1795 - ?), "Belsazar", subtitle: "Ballade", op. 18, published 1870 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Schuberth und Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "Belsazer", op. 10 no. 1 (1911) [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alexander Ritter (1833 - 1896), "Belsazar", op. 8, published 1884 [ low voice and piano ], Würzburg, Ritter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Belsazar", subtitle: "Ballade", op. 57 (1840), published 1846 [ low voice and piano ], Leipzig, Siegel und Stoll [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Eugen Felix) Richard Thiele (1847 - 1903), "Belsazar", from Melodramatische Parodien klassischer Gedichte, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Thudichum (1866 - 1944), "Belsazar", op. 14 [sung text not yet checked]
- by A. Thudicum , "Belsazar", op. 8 no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felix Werder (b. 1922), "Die Mitternacht zog näher schon", op. 260, published 1988, first performed 1988, from a one-act opera (about 15 minutes long) [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Karel Dostál-Lutinov) , "Belsazar", first published 1917
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Belsatzar", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Belshazzar", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Balthazar", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Belsazar", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , copyright © 2016, (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: 42
Word count: 263
Belshazzar
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Midnight drew nearer already; In mute rest lay Babylon. Only above, in the king's castle, lights are flickering and the king's retinue makes noise. And above, in the king's hall, Belshazzar holds his royal banquet. The knights sat in shimmering rows, emptying goblets of sparkling wine. The goblets clinked, the knights cheered; and so they made noise for that headstrong king. The king's cheeks glowed; through wine his courage grew bolder. And blindly, his courage pulled him forward, and he maligned God with blasphemous words. And he boasted impertinently and blasphemed wildly while the crowd of knights bellowed their approval. The king called with a haughty glance; the servant hurried off and soon came back. He brought back on his head many golden treasures that had been plundered from Jehovah's Temple. And the king grasped with his criminal hand a sacred goblet and filled it to the brim. And he drained it hastily to the bottom, and then called loudly with foaming mouth: "Jehovah! I proclaim to you my eternal scorn, for I am the king of Babylon!" But hardly had those terrible words died away, when the king grew secretly fearful in his heart. The ringing laughter fell silent at once; the hall grew deathly still. And behold! behold! on the white wall there appeared something like a human hand; and it wrote and wrote on the white wall letters of fire; it wrote and disappeared. The king sat staring there, with knocking knees, pale as death. The crowd of knights sat cold and filled with horror, and sat entirely still, without a sound. Magicians came, but no one could understand and find the meaning of the flaming script on the wall. But Belshazzar, that very night, was murdered by his knights.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Belsatzar", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Junge Leiden, in Romanzen, no. 10
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 42
Word count: 294