Friday, January 22, 2016

No. 3 Frozen Tears

Here I had to add some syllables to preserve the word stress within Schubert's meter. I'm still struggling with keeping the subject consistent in "und dringt doch aus der Quelle"...

III. Frozen Tears 

With frozen teardrops gathering
From frozen cheeks to fall:
How then had I not noticed
That I had cried at all?

Oh tears, my tears,
Are you so barely warm
That you would freeze to ice
Like dew of early morn?

Yet deep within the well
Of my breast your burning glow
Would strain to melt the mountains
Of winter's deepest snow
--or--
Yet flow forth from my breast
With lava's burning glow
As though to melt the mountains
Of winter's deepest snow
--or--
You well forth from the depths
Of my breast as a burning glow
And strain to melt the mountains
Of winter's deepest snow

III. Gefror'ne Tränen

Gefrorne Tropfen fallen 
Von meinen Wangen ab: 
Ob es mir denn entgangen, 
Daß ich geweinet hab' ?
Ei Tränen, meine Tränen, 
Und seid ihr gar so lau, 
Daß ihr erstarrt zu 
Eise Wie kühler Morgentau ?
Und dringt doch aus der Quelle 
Der Brust so glühend heiß,
Als wolltet ihr zerschmelzen
Des ganzen Winters Eis!

No comments:

Post a Comment