At my father's grave
(Poet's title: Bei dem Grabe meines Vaters)
Set by Schubert:
D 496
Schubert omitted the words in italics[November 1816]
Friede sei um diesen Grabstein hier,
Sanfter Friede Gottes! Ach, sie haben
Einen guten Mann begraben,
Und mir war er mehr;
Träufte mir von Segen dieser Mann,
Wie ein milder Stern aus bessern Welten,
Und ich kann’s ihm nicht vergelten,
Was er mir getan.
Er entschlief; sie gruben ihn hier ein,
Leiser, süßer Trost von Gott gegeben,
Und ein Ahnden von dem ew’gen Leben,
Düft’ um sein Gebein,
Bis ihn Jesus Christus, groß und hehr!
Freundlich wird erwecken, ach, sie haben
Ihn begraben! einen guten Mann begraben,
Und mir war er mehr.
Let there be peace around this tombstone!
The gentle peace of God! Oh they have
Buried a good man,
And he was more than that to me;
May this man sprinkle blessings down on me,
Like a gentle star from a better world!
And I cannot repay him
For what he has done for me.
He has fallen asleep; they have buried him here.
May soft, sweet comfort, given from God,
And a sense of eternal life
Waft around his bones!
Until Jesus Christ, great and majestic,
Wakes him up as a friend – oh, they have
Buried a good man,
And he was more than that to me.
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:
Eternity Father and child Graves and burials Resurrection Sleep Stars Waking up
What can you say? Your father has died and they have just buried him. It is hardly surprising that Claudius is repetitive and that he attempts no complex ideas or complex sentences. ‘And . . . And . . . And . . . ‘, he says, and we have no objection to the simplicity or the sincerity of the points being made. ‘They have buried a good man’ seems to be the simplest of assertions, but the tone in which it is uttered shows that it is a major claim (and it cannot apply to many people).
The language of ‘going to sleep’, ‘laying him to rest’ etc. has become so conventional that it is easy to forget that it is metaphorical. Claudius gives it an interesting twist (and a personal application) when he associates the grave with God the Father, and life after death with God the Son, who is going to wake him up in heaven. This appears to represent the major psychological challenge facing the author: the Father has to die for a new Son to emerge.
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Original Spelling Bey dem Grabe meines Vaters Friede sey um diesen Grabstein her! Sanfter Friede Gottes! Ach, sie haben Einen guten Mann begraben, Und mir war er mehr; Träufte mir von Seegen, dieser Mann, Wie ein milder Stern aus bessern Welten! Und ich kann's ihm nicht vergelten, Was er mir gethan. Er entschlief; sie gruben ihn hier ein. Leiser, süsser Trost, von Gott gegeben, Und ein Ahnden von dem ew'gen Leben Düft' um sein Gebein! Bis ihn Jesus Christus, groß und hehr! Freundlich wird erwecken - ach, sie haben Einen guten Mann begraben, Und mir war er mehr.
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s probable source, ASMUS omnia sua SECUM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, I. und II. Theil. Beym Verfasser, und in Commißion bey Fr. Perthes in Hamburg. [1774], pages 231-232.
First published in Der Deutsche, sonst Wandsbecker Bothe. Ao. 1773. No. 199. Dienstags, den 14ten December. The poem has there the subtitle “Im December, 1773”.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 231 here: https://resolver.sub.uni-hamburg.de/kitodo/PPN840695020