Ruckert & Mahler's Kindertotenlieder

Songs on the Death of Children (1901-1905)
Based on poems by Friedrich Ruckert written in 1833-4,
when two of his children died within 16 days of each other.
He wrote 425 poems in this period, Mahler chose five.
The poems that comprise songs two and five of Mahler's cycle,
chosen by me not for their poetry but for the sentiment: 

Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen
 Ihr sprühtet mir in manchem Augenblicke.
 O Augen!
 Gleichsam, um voll in einem Blicke
 Zu drängen eure ganze Macht zusammen.
 Doch ahnt' ich nicht, weil Nebel mich umschwammen,
 Gewoben vom verblendenden Geschicke,
 Daß sich der Strahl bereits zur Heimkehr schicke,
 Dorthin, von wannen alle Strahlen stammen.
 Ihr wolltet mir mit eurem Leuchten sagen:
 Wir möchten nah dir bleiben gerne!
 Doch ist uns das vom Schicksal abgeschlagen.
 Sieh' uns nur an, denn bald sind wir dir ferne!
 Was dir nur Augen sind in diesen Tagen:
 In künft'gen Nächten sind es dir nur Sterne.

(English translation by Emily Ezust)
Now I see well why with such dark flames
your eyes sparkled so often.
O eyes!
It was as if in one full glance
you could concentrate your entire power.
Yet I did not realize - because mists floated about me,
woven by blinding fate -
that this beam of light was ready to be sent home
to that place whence all beams come.
You would have told me with your brilliance:
we would gladly have stayed near you!
But it is refused by Fate.
Just look at us, for soon we will be far!
What to you are only eyes in these days -
in future nights shall be stars to us.


In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus,
 Nie hätt' ich gesendet die Kinder hinaus;
 Man hat sie getragen hinaus,
 Ich durfte nichts dazu sagen!
 
 In diesem Wetter, in diesem Saus,
 Nie hätt' ich gelassen die Kinder hinaus,
 Ich fürchtete sie erkranken;
 Das sind nun eitle Gedanken.
 
 In diesem Wetter, in diesem Graus,
 Nie hätt' ich gelassen die Kinder hinaus;
 Ich sorgte, sie stürben morgen,
 Das ist nun nicht zu besorgen.
 
 In diesem Wetter, in diesem Graus!
 Nie hätt' ich gesendet die Kinder hinaus!
 Man hat sie hinaus getragen,
 ich durfte nichts dazu sagen!

 In diesem Wetter, in diesem Saus, in diesem Braus,
 Sie ruh'n als wie in der Mutter Haus,
 Von keinem Sturm erschrecket,
 Von Gottes Hand bedecket.

In this weather, in this windy storm,
 I would never have sent the children out;
 They were carried outside -
 I could say nothing about it!
 
 In this weather, in this roaring storm,
 I would never have let the children out.
 I was afraid they had fallen ill,
 but these thoughts are now idle.
 
 In this weather, in this cruel storm,
 I would never have let the children out;
 I was worried they would die the next day -
 but this is now no concern.
 
 In this weather, in this cruel storm,
 I would never have sent the children out;
 They were carried outside -
 I could say nothing about it!
 
 In this weather, in this roaring, cruel storm,
 they rest as they did in their mother's house:
 they are frightened by no storm,
 and are covered by the hand of God.