by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834)
Translation © by Geart van der Meer

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
Language: English 
Our translations:  FRI
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And here were gardens bright with sinuous rills
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced;
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail:
And 'mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!

The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves:
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight 'twould win me
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.

F. Goossen sets stanzas 1, 4

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Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , "Koeblai Khan - Of in dreamfizioen. In fragmint", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-11-30
Line count: 54
Word count: 349

Koeblai Khan ‑ Of in dreamfizioen. In fragmint
Language: Frisian  after the English 
Yn Zanadoe liet Koeblai Khan
In steatlik lustpaleis ferrize,
Dêr't Alph, troch minsken hillich neamd,
Troch grûnleas djippe grotten streamt,
    Weiwurdt yn tichte dize.

Tsien myl yn 't rûn fan fruchtb're grûn
Mei muorre en toer waard hecht omjûn.
Dêr wie in hôf, dêr't held're rillen glinst'ren,
En mannich beam nei wiereek rûkend groeide,
En ringsom wâlden, âlder as de minsken,
Dêr't yn de sinne mannich blomke bloeide.

Mar o!, dy djippe kleau, sa bjusterbaarlik,
Dy't troch in sederbosk in fuorge snien hat,
In plak, sa woest betsjoend en sa ysbaarlik 
As dêr't wol ea yn 't moanljocht ûnbedaarlik
In faam om har demoanysk leaf lûd skriemd hat!
En út dy kleau, dêr't alles kolke' en kôke,
As wie it dat de grûn ferheftich krôke,  
Dêr hime hieltyd wer, yn stjalprich brûzen,
Mei tsjokke rotsen, dy't as hagel dûnsen
Of as de kerrels nôt fan tsjêf losslein,
Omheech mei fûle foarsje in fontein,
En mank dy rotsen, fuortkeild hein en fier, 
Brûsde hieltyd heech dy hillige rivier,
Dy't fiif myl, kronkeljend syn krinkelwei, 
Troch wâld en delling rêd syn hillich paad naam.
Dêrnei, yn dy ûnmjitlik djippe grot kaam,
Waard hij, in deadske see ynboarstend, wei. 
En Koeblai hearde fier yn 't rûn bij dat lawaai
De stim fan foarâlders, dy't slimme striid foarsei!
   Fan 't lusthôf skym're dêr de skyn,
   Flimerjend op 't widzjend wiet;
   Fier droech, fan fontein en grot, de wyn
   Frjemd de mingeling fan beider liet.
It wie in wûnder sa't noch nea bestie,
In sinnich lustpaleis mei 'n grot fan snie!

   Ik seach ris yn in fizioen,
   Hoe't yn in liet oer Abora
   Snaren fan in hakkeboerd
   Bespile waarden troch in faam
   Fan aadlik Abessynysk bloed;
   O! slagge' it mij om foar myn geast 
   Har swiete sangen wer te krijen,
   Dan joech mij dat sa'n djippe treast, 
Dat ik mei lûde melodijen 
Heech dat lustpaleis dêr boude, 
Dat sinnich hôf!, dy grot fan snie!
Dat elk dy 't hearde him besoude, 
Pas op! rôp en mij net fertroude -
Dat flamjend each, dat waaiend hier!
Net bij him stean! Lûk sirkels trije,
De eagen ticht! Wol eangstich swije!
Want huningdau hat hij fan dronken,
En molke' yn 't Paradys him skonken.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from English to Frisian copyright © 2013 by Geart van der Meer, (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.
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This text was added to the website: 2013-09-06
Line count: 54
Word count: 365