The fisherman's happiness in love
(Poet's title: Des Fischers Liebesglück)
Set by Schubert:
D 933
[November 1827]
Dort blinket
Durch Weiden
Und winket
Ein Schimmer
Blassstrahlig
Vom Zimmer
Der Holden mir zu.
Es gaukelt
Wie Irrlicht
Und schaukelt
Sich leise
Sein Abglanz
Im Kreise
Des schwankenden Sees.
Ich schaue
Mit Sehnen
Ins Blaue
Der Wellen,
Und grüße
Den hellen,
Gespiegelten Strahl.
Und springe
Zum Ruder
Und schwinge
Den Nachen
Dahin auf
Dem flachen,
Kristallenen Weg.
Fein-Liebchen
Schleicht traulich
Vom Stübchen
Herunter
Und sputet
Sich munter
Zu mir in das Boot.
Gelinde
Dann treiben
Die Winde
Uns wieder
Seeeinwärts
Vom Flieder
Des Ufers hindann.
Die blassen
Nachtnebel
Umfassen
Mit Hüllen
Vor Spähern
Den stillen,
Unschuldigen Scherz.
Und tauschen
Wir Küsse,
So rauschen
Die Wellen
Im Sinken
Und Schwellen,
Den Horchern zum Trotz.
Nur Sterne
Belauschen
Uns ferne
Und baden
Tief unter
Den Pfaden
Des gleitenden Kahns.
So schweben
Wir selig,
Umgeben
Vom Dunkel,
Hoch überm
Gefunkel
Der Sterne einher.
Und weinen
Und lächeln,
Und meinen,
Enthoben
Der Erde,
Schon oben,
Schon drüben zu sein.
Gleaming over there,
Through the willows,
And beckoning,
There is a shimmer
Faintly shining
From the room
Of my beloved, calling to me.
It is fluttering
Like a will o’ the wisp,
And swaying
Gently
Its reflection appears
In the circle
Of the undulating lake.
I gaze
With longing
Into the blue
Of the waves,
And I greet
The bright
Mirrored beam.
And I jump
To the oar,
And I swing
The boat
Out onto
The flat
Crystalline path.
My darling
Creeps steathily
Out of her little room
And comes down,
And hurries
Cheerfully
Towards me in the boat.
Gently
We are then driven
By the winds
Back again
Onto the lake
Away from the lilacs
On the bank.
The pale
Night-time mist
Surrounds us
And protects us
From being observed
As we quietly
Play our innocent game.
And as we exchange
Kisses,
The sound
Of the waves
As they sink
And swell
Defies anyone who is eavesdropping.
Only the stars
Observe
Us from afar,
And they bathe
Deep underneath
The pathway
Of the floating boat.
Thus we hover
In bliss,
Surrounded
By darkness,
High above
The sparkling
Of the stars.
And we cry
And smile
And imagine ourselves
Lifted up above
The earth,
Already high up,
Already in the beyond.
All translations into English that appear on this website, unless otherwise stated, are by Malcolm Wren. You are free to use them on condition that you acknowledge Malcolm Wren as the translator and schubertsong.uk as the source. Unless otherwise stated, the comments and essays that appear after the texts and translations are by Malcolm Wren and are © Copyright.
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Themes and images in this text:
Blue Boats Circles Fish and fishing Flying, soaring and gliding Games and play High, low and deep Kissing Lakes Light Lilac Mirrors and reflections Mist and fog Near and far Night and the moon Noise and silence On the water – rowing and sailing Stars Surface of the water Waves – Welle Weeping willows Will o’the wisp (ignis fatuus) Wind
The poetic metre ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ —
Everything is still, with just a hint of movement. The ripples on the lake are lapping against the shore with a regular, calming rhythm. The same underlying metre serves equally to portray the movement of the oars as the fisherman goes to collect the beloved and then goes out onto the open water. Light flickers to the same, unchanging beat. First of all, there is the beckoning signal that invites the speaker to begin the adventure. Later on it is the light of the stars on (and in) the light waves cradling the lovers. For eleven stanzas the metre is unchanging, yet the final stressed syllable always comes as something of a shock. We catch our breath as we share the astonishment and ecstasy that so unfailingly delights the fisherman and his beloved.
It seems to be something like hypnosis. The rhythm of the incantation results in some kind of transcendental experience. Everyday perceptions give way to an awareness of a deeper pattern or music that rocks not just the boat and the lake, but also the stars and the rest of creation. The circle of the lake becomes the scene of an inner revolution. The lovers look out, and below them they see the stars bathing in the depths. All of reality has been inverted. The world turns on the axis of love. With stars above, below and around them the fisherman and his beloved soar through the universe in an ecstasy in which tears and laughter are fused, darkness and light become one. Stillness and movement are in unchanging balance.
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Original Spelling Des Fischers Liebesglück Dort blinket Durch Weiden, Und winket Ein Schimmer Blaßstrahlig Vom Zimmer Der Holden mir zu. Es gaukelt Wie Irrlicht, Und schaukelt Sich leise Sein Abglanz Im Kreise Des schwankenden See's. Ich schaue Mit Sehnen In's Blaue Der Wellen, Und grüße Den hellen, Gespiegelten Strahl. Und springe Zum Ruder, Und schwinge Den Nachen Dahin auf Dem flachen, Krystallenen Weg. Fein-Liebchen Schleicht traulich Vom Stübchen Herunter, Und sputet Sich munter Zu mir in das Boot. Gelinde Dann treiben Die Winde Uns wieder See-einwärts Vom Flieder Des Ufers hindann. Die blassen Nachtnebel Umfassen Mit Hüllen Vor Spähern Den stillen, Unschuldigen Scherz. Und tauschen Wir Küsse, So rauschen Die Wellen Im Sinken Und Schwellen, Den Horchern zum Trotz. Nur Sterne Belauschen Uns ferne, Und baden Tief unter Den Pfaden Des gleitenden Kahn's. So schweben Wir selig, Umgeben Vom Dunkel, Hoch überm Gefunkel Der Sterne einher. Und weinen Und lächeln, Und meinen, Enthoben Der Erde, Schon oben, Schon drüben zu seyn.
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, Gedichte von Carl Gottfried Ritter von Leitner. Wien, gedruckt bey J. P. Sollinger. 1825, pages 110-113; and with Gedichte von Karl Gottfried Ritter v. Leitner. Zweite sehr vermehrte Auflage. Hannover. Victor Lohse. 1857, pages 44-46.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 110 here: https://download.digitale-sammlungen.de/BOOKS/download.pl?id=bsb10113663