Un jour mon démon a ri

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by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914)

Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Es hat mein Dämon einst gelacht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Es hat mein Dämon einst gelacht,
Da war ich ein Licht in schimmernden Gärten,
Und hatte Spiel und Tanz zu Gefährten
Und der Liebe Wein, der trunken macht.

Es hat mein Dämon einst geweint,
Da war ich ein Licht in schmerzlichen Gärten
Und hatte die Demut zum Gefährten,
Deren Glanz der Armut Haus bescheint.

Doch nun mein Dämon nicht weint noch lacht,
Bin ich ein Schatten verlorener Gärten
Und habe zum todesdunklen Gefährten
Das Schweigen der leeren Mitternacht.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), no title, appears in Gesang zur Nacht, no. 10 [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 Ernst Ludwig Leitner (b. 1943), "Es hat ein Dämon einst gelacht", 1978, first performed 1979 [low voice, flute, and harp], from Gesang zur Nacht. 12 Gesänge nach Gedichten von Georg Trakl, no. 10, self published: Edition 43 [
text not verified
]

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

FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-10-29
Line count: 12
Word count: 78

Un jour mon démon a ri

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Un jour mon démon a ri
J'étais là, une lumière en de scintillants jardins,
Et j'avais le jeu et la danse comme compagnons,
Et le cher vin qui donne l'ivresse.

Un jour mon démon a pleuré,
J'étais là, une lumière en de douloureux jardins
Et j'avais l'humilité comme compagne
Dont la lumière éclairait la maison de la misère..

Mais maintenant mon démon ni ne rit ni ne pleure,
Je suis une ombre en des jardins perdus,
Et j'ai comme compagnon, noir comme la mort,
Le silence d'un minuit vide.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Georg Trakl (1887 - 1914), no title, appears in Gesang zur Nacht, no. 10
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-04-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 89