Tuesday, September 4, 2012

September

From "Four Last Songs" by Richard Strauss
Poem by Hermann Hesse

Der Garten trauert,
kühl sinkt in die Blumen der Regen.
Der Sommer schauert
still seinem Ende entgegen. 

Golden tropft Blatt um Blatt
nieder vom hohen Akazienbaum.
Sommer lächelt erstaunt und matt
in den sterbenden Gartentraum. 

Lange noch bei den Rosen
bleibt er stehen, sehnt sich nach Ruh.
Langsam tut er die großen
müdgewordnen Augen zu.


~ § ~

The garden saddens,
Cool rain sinks into the flowers.
Summer shudders
as it quietly meets its end.

Golden leaf by leaf drops
down from the tall acacia tree.
Summer smiles astonished and exhausted
in the dying garden dream

Lingering still by the roses
it remains standing, longing for peace
Slowly it closes its great
weary-laden eyes.

~ Hermann Hesse (1877-1953)

3 comments:

  1. Herman Hesse, one of my favorites in the late 60's early 70's. It has been years since I have read anything by him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps ot is time I revisit him. Thank you for this post.

      Delete
  2. You're welcome, Les.

    The music of Richard Strauss in these "Four Last Songs" -- actually the final notes he ever set down after a long, illustruous career -- is a perfect evocation of the meaning of the words -- and of the word "autumnal," "elegiac," and "mystical."

    All four songs -- both music and words -- are not merely descriptive of a seasonal change in the weather, but a symbolic reflection of the deep sadness that came over thoughtful, sensitive people in the immediate post-war years -- the realization that the beauty, grace and dignity of the Old World Civilization in Europe had perished along with millions of other casualties in the storm of war.

    Take time, and listen to the complete set sung either by Lisa Della Casa or Elisabeth Schwarzkopf --both readily available on YouTube.

    Contemplative melancholy become exquisitely beautiful in these songs, if you can bring yourself to meet them on their terms, which I admit takes a bit of doing.

    ~ FreeThinke

    ReplyDelete

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