The woodpecker | What great strength, little woodpecker, was vouchsafed to you!

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by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Der Specht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Wie ward dir, kleiner Specht, so große Kraft!
Von deinem Klopfen tönt der ganze Schaft
der hohen Kiefer. Wär' auch mir vergönnt,
dass ich den Menschen so durchklingen könnt'!

Text Authorship:

by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Der Specht", appears in Melancholie [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 Wilfried Hiller , "Der Specht", from Morgenstern-Liederbuch [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The woodpecker", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le pic", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-31
Line count: 4
Word count: 29

The woodpecker

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

What great strength, little woodpecker, was vouchsafed to you!
From your knocking vibrates the whole shaft
Of the tall pine.  If it were only granted to me as well
That I could thus make mankind resound through and through!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2011 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 Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Der Specht", appears in Melancholie
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-05-31
Line count: 4
Word count: 39