Sommerfäden
German source:
Karl August Candidus
Fliegen von den Himmeln nieder;
Sind den Menschen Hirngespinnste,
Fetzen goldner Liebesträume.
An die Stauden, an die Bäume
Haben sie sich dort verfangen;
Hochselbsteigene Gewinnste
Sehen wir darunter hangen.
Gossamer
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Flit down from the sky;
They are man’s fantastical thoughts,
Scraps of golden dreams of love.
On the shrubs, on the trees—
That’s where they are caught;
There we see our own fate
Hanging by a thread.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Sommerfäden
German source:
Karl August Candidus
Gossamer
English source:
Richard Stokes
Sommerfäden hin und wieder
Back and forth gossamer threads
Fliegen von den Himmeln nieder;
Flit down from the sky;
Sind den Menschen Hirngespinnste,
They are man’s fantastical thoughts,
Fetzen goldner Liebesträume.
Scraps of golden dreams of love.
An die Stauden, an die Bäume
On the shrubs, on the trees—
Haben sie sich dort verfangen;
That’s where they are caught;
Hochselbsteigene Gewinnste
There we see our own fate
Sehen wir darunter hangen.
Hanging by a thread.
Composer
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna. Brahms has been considered, by his…
Poet
Karl August Candidus
Karl August Candidus was a 19th century German poet and librettist.