:(
I'm a classical singer and have been asked to premier a new German piece. Unfortunately, my German isn't great. Can someone please help translate this piece for me? I'm so desperate!!
Ich moechte einer werden so wie die,
die durch die Nacht mit wilden Pferden fahren,
mit Fackeln, die gleich aufgegangenen Haaren
in ihres Jagens grossem Winde wehn.
Vorn moecht ich stehen wie in einem Kahne,
gross und wie eine Fahne aufgerollt.
Dunkel, aber mit einem Helm von Gold,
der unruhig glaenzt. Und hinter mir gereiht
zehn Maenner aus derselben Dunkelheit
mit Helmen, die wie meiner unstet sind,
bald klar wie Glas, bald dunkel, alt und blind.
Und einer steht bei mir und blaest uns Raum
mit der Trompete, welche blitzt und schreit,
und blaest uns eine schwarze Einsamkeit,
durch die wir rasen wie ein ascher Traum:
die Haeuser fallen hinter uns ins Knie,
die Gassen biegen sich uns schief entgegen,
die Plaetze weichen aus: wir fassen sie,
und unsre Rosse rauschen wie ein Regen.
Hi t00kus,
ah, how nice to see Rilke once in a while :D
I'm a native German speaker and hope, I can help you with this:
I wish to be like one of these
who ride through the night on untamed horses
with torches, which like open hair
wave in their races great wind.
At the front I would like to stay like in a boat
tall and like a banner rolled up
Dark but with a helmet full of gold,
which shines restless. And behind me lined up
ten men out of the same darkness
with helmets, uneasy as mine,
soon clear as glass, soon dark, old and blind.
And one stands next to me and blows the way clear for us
with the trumpet, which flashes and screams,
and blows us a black loneliness
through which wie rush like ashen dream:
The houses behind us fall to their knee,
the alleys bend crooked in our way
the places evade us: we take hold of them,
and our steeds rush like a rain.
[note: Open hair: Like hair that just flew open from i.e. a ponytail]
I'd like to stay, this piece is written in a some kind of archaic german. I would have liked to display this in the translation, but I'm not very fluent in the writing style of old english, for that I apologize.
If you'd like to have a translation that would make it equally singable, I'd gladly do that also (I just don't have the time right now, actually at work right now :))
Hope I could help
Lots of greetings
Jaunty
I'd like to become one like those
who ride through the night with wild horses,
with torches, that, like unbound hair,
blow in the hard wind of their racing.
I'd like to stand in front, as in a boat,
tall and like a flag unfurled.
Dark, but with a helm of gold
that glimmers restlessly. And ranked behind me
ten men of the same darkness,
with helms that, like mine, are ever-changing,
now clear as glass, now dark, old and blind.
And one stands beside me and blows our way clear
with the trumpet, which glitters and shrieks,
and blows us a black loneliness
through which we race like an ashen dream:
the buildings fall to their knees behind us,
the narrow streets bend themselves crooked before us,
the plazas evade us: we seize them,
and our steeds roar like a rain.
Also, every poem by Rilke has been translated into English by professional poets ;) , so go to a bookstore and see what they have done with this.