I'm filthy, Milena | I'm filthy, Milena, totally filthy

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by Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924)

Translation © by Laura Stanfield Prichard

Schmutzig bin ich, Milena...

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Chosen for Diff

Schmutzig bin ich, Milena, endlos schmutzig, 
darum mache ich ein solches Geschrei mit der Reinheit. 
Niemand singt so rein als die, welche in der tiefsten Hölle sind;
was wir für den Gesang der Engel halten, ist ihr Gesang.

Text Authorship:

by Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) [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 György Kurtág (b. 1926), "Schmutzig bin ich, Milena...", op. 24 no. 3d (1985-6) [ soprano and violin ], from Kafka-Fragmente, no. 3d [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Laura Stanfield Prichard) , "I'm filthy, Milena", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Je suis sale, Milena...", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2009-05-20
Line count: 4
Word count: 38

I'm filthy, Milena

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Chosen for Diff

I'm filthy, Milena, totally filthy, 
therefore I make such a racket about purity. 
None sings as purely as those, who are in the deepest Hell;
what we regard as angelic song, is really their song.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 by Laura Stanfield Prichard, (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 Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2020-01-08
Line count: 4
Word count: 35