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Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen Ihr sprühtet mir in manchem Augenblicke. O Augen, gleichsam, um [in]1 einem Blicke Zu drängen eure ganze Macht zusammen. Doch ahnt' ich nicht, weil Nebel mich umschwammen, Gewoben vom verblendenden Geschicke, Daß sich der Strahl bereits zur Heimkehr schicke, Dorthin, von wannen alle Strahlen stammen. Ihr wolltet mir mit eurem Leuchten sagen: Wir möchten nah dir [immer]2 bleiben gerne! Doch ist uns das vom Schicksal abgeschlagen. Sieh' [recht]2 uns [an]3, denn bald sind wir dir ferne! Was dir [noch]4 Augen sind in diesen Tagen: In künft'gen Nächten sind es dir nur Sterne.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Mahler: "voll in"
2 omitted by Mahler.
3 Mahler: "nur an"
4 Mahler: "nur"
Text Authorship:
- by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), no title, appears in Kindertodtenlieder, in Krankheit und Tod [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 Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911), "Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen", 1902, from Kindertotenlieder, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Ara veig bé, per què en certs moments", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Now I see well why with such dark flames", copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (David Paley) , "Now do I see with what such darkened beacons", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Ora vedo bene perché fiamme così cupe", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , "Dabar žinau, kodėl liepsna tūžminga", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POR Portuguese (Português) (Paulo Albuquerque de Noronha) , "Agora vejo bem, por que chamas tão escuras", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elena María Accinelli) , "Ahora veo por qué con esas llamas tan oscuras", copyright © 2005, (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: 14
Word count: 106
Now do I see with what such darkened beacons You flash to me in all those many moments. Those eyes are, as if, within those ample glances, Compressing your unbroken might together. Yet had I known, in foggy days enveloped, All woven from my lack of understanding, That such a ray consoled their homeward journey To there, the source of all the streaming splendour. You wanted to tell me with flashing glances: So gladly would you have us near you. But that is barred by fateful intervention. So look at us, for soon we will be distant. What now those eyes are, seen in day's resplendence, Will nights in future show to you as starlight.
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2012 by David Paley, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.
David Paley. Contact: davidpaley (AT) btinternet (DOT) com
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), no title, appears in Kindertodtenlieder, in Krankheit und Tod
This text was added to the website: 2012-08-15
Line count: 14
Word count: 115