Zwei Kanzonen und Two Nonsense Verses, an Epigram, and a Madrigal - BSN/SOPRANO

Zwei Kanzonen und >>Two Nonsense Verses, an Epigram, and a Madrigal
for soprano and bassoon
by Jurg Wyttenbach (b. 1935)

Written in 1964, this work comes in score form- there are no individual parts. The text is based on two short works by the poet Hans Arp, two "Nonsense Verses" by Ogden Nash, an Epigram of Samuel Taylor-Coleridge, and an anonymous madrigal of the 17th century. The text of the Arp is in German. All other texts are in English with German translations by Urs Frauchiger. 

Zwei Kanzonen by Hans Arp

I. Auf verscleierten Schaukeln

Tage regungslose Meere
von lauen Auen umstellt
Tage tiefeschlafende Knospen
tief tiefblaue Knospen tief...
Schau wie blau.
Augen regungslose Meere
von lauernden Kuessen umstellt.
Augen tief tiefschlafende Knospen
tief tiefblaue Knospen tief...
Schau wie blau.

II. Puppen

Mein Knopf ist ein Schneebal.
Meine Arme und Beine sind schwarze, nasse Zweige.
Mein Herz ist ein mundvoll Kuesse
Ich bin erbaermlich und schon halb vergangen
und werde trotzdem so geliebt.

Two Nonsense Verses- Ogden Nash

I. Hark to the whimper of the sea-gull;
He weeps because her's not an ea-gull.
Suppose you were, you silly sea-gull,
Could you explain it to your she-gull?

II. The turtle lives 'twixt plated decks
Which practically conceal its sex.
I think it clever of the turtle
In such a fix to be so fertile.

Epigram by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Sir, I admit your general rule,
That every poet is a fool,
But you yourself may serve to show it,
That every fool is not a poet.

Madrigal from the 17th century

My Love in her attire doth show her wit,
It doth so well become her:
For every season she hath dressings fit,
For winter, spring and summer.
No beauty she doth miss,
When all her robes are on:
But Beauty's self she is,
When all her robes are gone.