Poetry

The words behind the music

Hope

Poem by Emily Dickinson (1861)

HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Hoffnung

Übersetzt durch Walter A. Aue

Die Hoffnung ist das Federding,
das in der Seel´ sich birgt
und Weisen ohne Worte singt
und niemals müde wird.

Am süßten klingt es in den Bö´n-
und schlimm der Sturm der kränkt
und Schaden bringt dem Vögelchen,
das soviel Wärme schenkt.

Ich hab´s auf fremd´ster See gehört
und auf der kält´sten Flur;
doch nie hat´s in Gefahr begehrt
von mir ein Körnchen nur.

I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams
Song Lyrics by John Burke (1938)

I'm no millionaire
But I′m not the type to care
'Cause I've got a pocketful of dreams
It′s my universe
Even with an empty purse
'Cause I′ve got a pocketful of dreams
I wouldn't take the wealth of Wall Street
For a road where nature trods
And I calculate that I′m worth my weight
In goldenrods
Lucky, lucky me
I can live in luxury
'Cause I've got a pocketful of dreams

Blackbird
Song Lyrics by Paul Mc Cartney (1968)

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of a dark black night

Sehnsucht

Johanna Lankau (1866 - 1921)

O, wenn die Sehnsucht Flügel hätte,
Welch weiter, weißer Schwanenzug
Nähm' mit den Wolken um die Wette
In blaue Fernen seinen Flug.

Und wenn in abendroten Gluten
Und goldnem Brand der Himmel ständ' –
Wie schön, wenn durch die Purpurfluten
Mein Sehnen freie Bahnen fänd'.

Nicht mehr gefesselt und gebunden,
Zög' ohne Wunsch und Weh
Das Flügelpaar die Sonnenstunden
Weiß leuchtend über Land und See.

Bis hin zu aller Sehnsucht Ende,
Wo die Erfüllung stolz und groß,
Streckt ihre reichen Segenshände
Und legt das Glück in meinen Schoß.

Baker Street

Song Lyrics by Gerry Rafferty (1978)

Winding your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head and dead on your feet
Well, another crazy day
You'll drink the night away
And forget about ev'rything

This city desert makes you feel so cold
It's got so many people, but it's got no soul
And it's taken you so long
To find out you were wrong
When you thought it held everything

You used to think that it was so easy
You used to say that it was so easy
But you're tryin', you're tryin' now
Another year and then you'd be happy
Just one more year and then you'd be happy
But you're cryin', you're cryin' now

Way down the street there's a light in his place
He opens the door, he's got that look on his face
And he asks you where you've been
You tell him who you've seen
And you talk about anything

He's got this dream about buying some land
He's gonna give up the booze and the one-night stands
And then he'll settle down
In some quiet little town
And forget about ev'rything

But you know he'll always keep movin'
You know he's never gonna stop movin'
'Cause he's rollin', he's the rolling stone
When you wake up, it's a new mornin'
The sun is shinin', it's a new mornin'
You're goin', you're goin' home

Inmitten der großen Stadt
Christian Morgenstern (ca. 1898)

Sieh, nun ist Nacht!
Der Großstadt lautes Reich
durchwandert ungehört
der dunkle Fluß.
Sein stilles Antlitz
weiß um tausend Sterne.

Und deine Seele, Menschenkind?

Ward sie nicht Spiel und Spiegel
irrer Funken,
die gestern wurden,
morgen zu vergehn, –
verlorst
in deiner kleinen Lust und Pein
du nicht das Firmament,
darin du wohnst, –
hast du dich selber nicht
vergessen,
Mensch,
und weiß dein Antlitz noch
um Ewigkeit?