Historical dream account · English · machine translation
The Well That Was a Clock
Friedrich Hebbel
Das Buch der Träume (1927) · Das Buch der Träume, original1927 anthology, numbered account323, printed page168
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Vienna, April 25, 1847. Last night I dreamed I stood in an ancient well of unfathomable depth, that is, at the top inside the railing, on a beam; but this well was actually a clock; wheels turned like greenish waters flowing, weights rose and fell; at every moment I had to change my place if I did not want to be crushed or thrust down into the depths. My fear rose from minute to minute, until at last it became so great that, at the risk of destruction, I sought to free myself from my position; I dared a leap and escaped. Now I met Tine, who told me five old emperors were buried in the well.
Original diary heading/group: 1847-04-25
Read the original German account
Der Brunnen, der eine Uhr war
Wien, 25. April 1847. In der letzten Nacht träumte mir, ich stände in einem uralten Brunnen von unabsehlicher Tiefe, d. h. oben innerhalb des Geländers, auf einem Balken; dieser Brunnen war aber eigentlich eine Uhr, Räder gingen, wie die grünlichen Wasser flössen, Gewichte stiegen auf und nieder, ich mußte alle Augenblick meinen Platz verändern, wenn ich nicht erquetscht oder in die Tiefe hinabgestoßen werden wollte. Meine Angst stieg von Minute zu Minute, endlich wurde sie so groß, daß ich mich auf die Gefahr des Untergangs hin aus meiner Lage zu befreien suchte, ich wagte einen Sprung und entkam. Nun traf ich Tine, die mir sagte, in dem Brunnen seien fünf alte Kaiser begraben.
Source & context
English machine translation. The original account, source credit and publication terms remain available.
A historical recollection reproduced in Ignaz Ježower’s original German anthology. Editorial title and navigation themes are added; source wording is preserved. This is not a modern Synastry community submission.
Friedrich Hebbel, account reproduced in Ignaz Ježower (compiler), Das Buch der Träume (Berlin: Ernst Rowohlt, copyright1927), numbered account323, p.168. Original German; editorial title added.
Diary date/group is retained only where the source states it; no exact event date or present-day location is inferred.1927 is anthology publication, not dream date.
Public-domain original German historical texts — 1927 anthology ↗
Public Domain Mark is a status marker, not a new license grant. Selected original authors died1863 or earlier; anthology copyright1927, compiler died1942. Original German text only; no modern translation/commentary. No universal jurisdiction warranty.
Source locator and text provenance
Das Buch der Träume, original1927 anthology, numbered account323, printed page168
The original text and redactions are preserved. The page title is an editorial navigation label.
Complete original German numbered diary recollection transcribed against rendered primary scan; Running headings and marginal account numerals omitted; line-wrap hyphens joined; print spacing normalized; Source spelling and names retained; no translation, paraphrase, redaction or generated narrative; Scan-confirmed OCR/typographic corrections recorded in per-item replay ledger. Editorial title/navigation themes and canonical metadata added; no narrative wording change.
Complete numbered recollection retained.
- Account text SHA-256
- 8f966ee7d61cb591ecca6bbd4ddbd917d65d5f31a8f7f9087aa92e2d50198320
- Source file SHA-256
- 33cd84ef59fe3acb9ce7e0ffec3a2b3b718e18f3896c45ff8dab32820c3b7f1c
Content notes
- Peril
- Death
Connections in the Loom
Titles, theme labels, illustrations and map connections are editorial navigation aids. They are separate from the account’s words and do not establish connections between real people.