Lost in the fire of last year's Pierrot centennial was translation. After all, it was Otto Erich Hartleben's German--translated from the original French of Albert Giraud--that Arnold Schoenberg had set.
And with Stanley Appelbaum's Anglicised Hartleben turning 20 next year (not to mention having its own Twitter account @PierrotTweets), Classicalite figured a new English language translation was passed due.
With a fantastic ray of light The moon illuminates the crystal flacons On the black, sacrosanct washstand Of the silent dandy from Bergamo.
— Pierrot (@PierrotTweets) May 31, 2011
To wit, for the next 21 weekdays, we'll be offering a new take on each of Giraud/Hartleben/Appelbaum's 3x7 poems...alongside some of our favorite performances.
DANDY
With a beam of light fantastic
The moon illuminates the crystal bottles
On black, high sacred pool
Muffler dandy from Bergamo.
In the great bronze basin
The water jet laughs light with a metallic sound.
With a beam of light fantastic
The moon illuminates the crystal bottles.
Pierrot with his face wax
Is reflected and think, how can you make today?
It removes the red and green of the East
With a range of fantastic moon.
Up next: "Eine Blasse Wäscherin"
