Poetry, April 27

[jade_sabre]

So again you have buella_pearl to thank for today's entry.  Her talk of German poetry got me thinking about the nature of translations and such, and then tonight we had choir recordings and we sang this song by Schubert that I really do adore.  So for today, I'm posting the original German text, as it is simply awesome in terms of traditional poetic ideals, and it's one of those things that you really can't translate.  From Goethe's Faust, after Faust has knocked poor Gretchen up and then fled:



Gretchen am Spinnrade
Mein Ruh' ist hin,
Mein Herz ist schwer;
Ich finde sie nimmer
Und nimmermehr.

Wo ist ihn nich hab'
Ist mir das Grab,
Die ganze Welt
Ist mir vergällt.

Mien armer Kopf
Ist mir verrückt,
Mein armer Sinn
Ist mir zerstückt.

Meine Ruh' ist hin,
Mein Herz ist schwer;
Ich finde sie nimmer
Und nimmermehr.

Nach ihm nur schau' ich
Zum Fenster hinaus,
Nach ihm nur geh' ich
Aus dem Haus.

Sein hoher Gang
Sein' edle Gestalt
Seines Mundes Lächeln
Seiner Augen Gewalt,

Und seiner Rede
Zauberfluß
Seine Händedruck
Und ach, sein Kuß!

Meine Ruh' ist hin,
Mein Herz ist schwer;
Ich finde sie nimmer
Und nimmermehr.

Mein Busen drängt sich
nach ihm hin;
Ach, dürft' ich fassen
Und halten ihn

Und küssen ihn,
So wie ich wollt',
An seinen Küssen
Vergehen sollt'!

Meine Ruh' ist hin.

Comments

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

It's German! XDDD I really liked the song too.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

:-)

it's so good in German, but the general vibe I get is that German poetry, when translated into English, sounds like bad emo poetry. Which is quite sad. Because it's good emo poetry in German, but bad in English.

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I kinda thought when I read a translated version. It's like when we were reading parts of Wagner's Nibelungenlied in German class--Mr. G tried to explain quite a few passages that, when translated to English, just lost the depth of meaning.

[urthstripe321.livejournal.com]

Me and Goethe have some deep issues to resolve (oh sure, you and your Weimar Classicism is SO COOL, huh), but this is an amazing snippet.

You should put some Keats. He's my fave. He had a shitty life and died young, but he was a dreamer, and he loved, and he saw beauty, and he was happy when everything was against in him.

Reminds me of me, in some ways. Except for the dying young thing, I hope.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Hahaha I understand. I don't like Romantic kids very much either.

Okay, I will! Got a particular favorite?

I hope your life isn't that shitty. But other than that...yay. :-)

[buella-pearl.livejournal.com]

I too have some pretty intense Goethe issues that I refuse to resolve despite being a German major.

So much so that I take mild affront to being credited as inspiration for today's poem coming from Goethe (indirect though it may be).

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I AM SORRY I just like the poem I honestly don't know much about Goethe at all. D:

[buella-pearl.livejournal.com]

It's not you! It's Goethe. Don't worry about it.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

*is wondering whether this has anything to do with Werther, which I had to read THREE TIMES in separate German lit classes.*
*shudders*

Actually I came up with this theory that it was all a comedy and we were SUPPOSED to hate Werther.

[buella-pearl.livejournal.com]

HAHAH! It has everything to do with Werther!

Three separate times? You poor thing.

I'm fascinated by the fact that it was so popular when originally published. Why would people opt just to read that? It must secretly be a comedy.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe not secretly a comedy. But I do honestly believe that Goethe did not intend for us to like Werther. He goes to such pains to portray all his negative qualities! And he's supposed to be based on Goethe himself as a younger man -- would you glorify your younger self, whom you had outgrown, or would you present him as a deeply flawed and despicable person? Yeah, I'd pick "none of the above." But if I had to vote, I'd go with the second. I am fond enough of some of Goethe's other work that I refuse to believe he wanted us to love Werther. Why so many people to this day persist in loving him is the real mystery.

[buella-pearl.livejournal.com]

From the introduction note, it's clear that Goethe doesn't share, nor does he want readers to share, Werther's views on suicide. I think this argues strongly that Goethe didn't want readers to like or agree with Werther. It's always easier to agree with a likable character. Instead we have unlikable, unreasonable Werther presenting them.

I'm sure I'll give Goethe another chance...someone will probably make me do so in the next two years of studying German.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I used to sing this one with my voice teacher (lo these many years ago). That's when I discovered that I can, in fact, hit a high A.

There's a nice Rilke poem I always loved -- I'll see if I can dig it up for you.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Wait, no, I think it's Heine. Haven't found it yet, though...