Mignon (Heiß mich nicht reden), D 726, D 877/2

Mignon

(Poet's title: Mignon)

Part of  Goethe: Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre 

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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Unlike the three other Mignon songs in Goethe’s novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, ‘Heiß mich nicht reden’ is not fully integrated into the narrative structure of the text. It appears at the end of Book 5 with the comment that Mignon was unhappy when Wilhelm left the troupe of actors for a while and that she then sang a song which she had sung a few times before (but which, according to the narrator, had not been included so far because of the lack of a suitable opportunity to present it). We are therefore led to believe that the text relates to Mignon in general rather than to any particular situation she finds herself in.

The first ‘secret’ or mystery about the poem is, therefore, who is the text addressed to? Who has asked Mignon to speak, and in what circumstances? Why is she even saying that she is unable to speak; why is she not simply remaining silent, as she declares she needs to do? Once we begin asking questions like this, we become even more inquisitive. What was the oath she swore? To whom? Why? If there is a fixed time when the sun breaks through dark night or when the cliff opens up to release its hidden springs, when is the time when Mignon will be allowed to open herself and reveal her inner self, her deep secret? How will she ever know that time? Where is the god who will unlock her closed lips?

That is the nature of secrets; they make us want to know more. The more that is hidden, the more interested we become. The more we are told we mustn’t ask, the more we think, ‘oh, but you could tell ME!’. Then, of course, there is the psychological effect of projection: the person with the secret becomes a sort of blank screen onto which we can project our own concerns and experience. This may be one of the main reasons why Mignon has attracted such attention from composers, readers and listeners over the years.

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Original Spelling

Mignon

Heiß mich nicht reden, heiß mich schweigen,
Denn mein Geheimniß ist mir Pflicht;
Ich möchte dir mein ganzes Innre zeigen,
Allein das Schicksal will es nicht.

Zur rechten Zeit vertreibt der Sonne Lauf
Die finstre Nacht, und sie muß sich erhellen;
Der harte Fels schließt seinen Busen auf,
Mißgönnt der Erde nicht die tiefverborgnen Quellen.

Ein jeder sucht im Arm des Freundes Ruh,
Dort kann die Brust in Klagen sich ergießen;
Allein ein Schwur drückt mir die Lippen zu
Und nur ein Gott vermag sie aufzuschließen.

Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, Goethe’s Werke. Zweyter Band. Original-Ausgabe. Wien, 1816. Bey Chr. Kaulfuß und C. Armbruster. Stuttgart. In der J. G. Cotta’schen Buchhandlung. Gedruckt bey Anton Strauß page 127; with Goethe’s Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Zweyter Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta’schen Buchhandlung. 1827, page 117; and with Goethe’s Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Neunzehnter Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta’schen Buchhandlung. 1828, page 262.

First published in Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. Ein Roman. Herausgegeben von Goethe. Dritter Band, Berlin. Bei Johann Friedrich Unger. 1795, pages 203-204. The poem appears in Book 5, Chapter 16 of Goethe’s novel.

To see an early edition of the text, go to page 127 [135 von 350] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ223421905

Carlyle’s English translation of Wilhelm Meister is available online at https://www.bartleby.com/ebook/adobe/314.pdf