The boy in the cradle
(Poet's title: Der Knabe in der Wiege)
Set by Schubert:
D 579
[autumn 1817]
Er schläft so süß, der Mutter Blicke hangen
An ihres Lieblings leisem Atemzug,
Den sie mit stillem sehnsuchtsvollen Bangen
So lange unterm Herzen trug.
Sie sieht so froh die vollen Wangen glühen
In gelbe Ringellocken halb versteckt,
Und will das Ärmchen sanft herunter ziehen,
Das sich im Schlummer ausgestreckt.
Und leis und leiser schaukelt sie die Wiege
Und singt den kleinen Schläfer leis in Ruh;
Ein Lächeln spielet um die holden Züge,
Doch bleibt das Auge friedlich zu.
Erwachst du Kleiner, o so lächle wieder
Und schau ihr hell ins Mutterangesicht:
So lauter Liebe schaut es auf dich nieder,
Noch kennest du die Liebe nicht.
Bald aber lernst du sie aus ihren Blicken,
Aus ihrem Herzen, wenn es sanft bewegt
Von mütterlichem volleren Entzücken
An deinem kleinen Herzen schlägt.
Und lernest Sprache zu des Herzens Triebe,
Zuerst mit Stammeln nur den Mutterlaut,
Und bald noch manches süße Wort der Liebe,
Und wirst den Deinen so vertraut.
Und lernst den teuren Vater auch erkennen,
Und eilst ihm zu von deiner Mutter Brust,
Und lernst die Dinge scheiden und benennen,
Und fühlst des Denkens neue Lust.
Und lernest beten aus der Mutter Munde
Nach ihres Herzens kindlich frommem Sinn,
Es weiset dir in stiller Abendstunde
Der Vater nach den Sternen hin.
Dort, wo der Vater aller Menschen wohnet,
Der dich, und alle seine Kinder liebt,
Der alles Gute väterlich belohnet,
Und jedem seine Freude gibt.
Da wandelst du so rein und froh auf Erden,
Dein Herz so gläubig und so gut und weich!
So bleibe, Holder, willst du glücklich werden,
Denn solcher ist das Himmelreich.
He is sleeping so sweetly, his mother cannot take her eyes off
Her darling’s gentle breathing,
The boy who she felt such silent, yearning anxiety about
For so long as she carried him beneath her heart.
She takes such pleasure in looking at his full cheeks glowing,
Half hidden behind his yellow ringlets,
And she wants to tuck in his little arm gently
When he stretches it out in his sleep.
She rocks the cradle ever more gently
And sings the little sleeper softly to his rest;
A smile plays around his beautiful features
Though his eyes remain peacefully closed.
When you wake up, little one, smile again like that
And beam into your mother’s face:
She is looking at you with so much love
Even though you are not aware of this love.
But you will soon learn about it from the way she looks at you,
From her heart, when it is gently moved
By the most intense motherly delight
As it beats in response to your own little heart.
And you will learn to speak from the drives of the heart,
At first you will just mutter the sound ‘mummy’
But you will soon learn plenty of sweet loving words
And you will be so confident in your own.
And you will also learn to recognise your dear father,
And you will rush to him from your mother’s breast,
And you will learn to distinguish and name different things
And you will feel new pleasure in thinking.
And you will learn to pray from your mother’s mouth,
Reflecting the childlike pious attitude of her heart,
In the quiet hours of evening you will be shown
The stars and your father will point to them;
Up there, where the father of all humans lives,
Who loves you and all his children,
Who rewards all that is good in a fatherly way
And who gives his joy to everyone.
Here you are roaming about on earth so pure and contented,
With your heart so trusting, so good and tender!
So remain, you beauty, if you want to become happy,
For such is the kingdom of heaven.
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:
Arms and embracing Breath and breathing Cheeks Chest / breast Children and childhood Cradles Eyes Father and child Gazes, glimpses and glances Hair Hearts Heaven, the sky Joy Lullabies Mother and child Prayers and praying Rocking Sleep Smiling Stars Sweetness Yellow
The final line of Ottenwalt’s text quotes Matthew’s Gospel:
Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
Matthew 19: 13 – 15 (King James Version)
Throughout the poem the new-born baby is said to be ‘pure’, ‘good and tender’ etc. and is presented as being nothing but a delight to his parents. There is no trace of the idea (official Roman Catholic doctrine, in fact) that all babies are born tainted with sin and with an inclination to selfishness or even wickedness.
The early stanzas follow the mother’s gaze as she concentrates on the baby’s breathing, on the way he stretches out his little arm and how his face seems to glow as he sleeps. The poet then reflects on how much love the mother has already bestowed on the child and how much more she is going to do for him, without him even realising it. This idea of ignorance and unconsciousness leads the poet to think about the process of the baby learning and becoming aware of the world around him.
That world is rigidly ordered on gender lines, of course. Although he begins to learn language as a ‘mother tongue’, this is all expected to be within a context of warmth, protection and piety. After a while the boy will be expected to learn to distinguish different things in the world and learn a more complex vocabulary from his father, who will also encourage him to see beyond the surface features of the world. The father will point to the stars, but with the intention of pointing beyond them to their creator. His own fatherhood will be presented as a shadow of the relationship of all humans to their heavenly father.
So the text has moved from a detailed, physical description of a sleeping baby to a more abstract level. It is no longer about the baby, or what the baby can learn from the adults around him; it is what we adults can learn from the baby – a way of being truly childlike. Can we (re?)discover that purity, trust and tenderness that will allow us to approach the kingdom of heaven?
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Original Spelling and notes on the text Der Knabe in der Wiege Er schläft so süß, der Mutter Blicke hangen An ihres Lieblings leisem Athemzug, Den sie mit stillem sehnsuchtsvollen Bangen So lange unterm Herzen trug. Sie sieht so froh die vollen1 Wangen glühen In gelbe Ringellocken halb versteckt, Und will das Ärmchen sanft2 herunterziehen, Das sich im Schlummer ausgestreckt. Und leis' und leiser schaukelt sie die Wiege Und singt den kleinen Schläfer leis' in Ruh; Ein Lächeln spielet um die holden Züge, Doch bleibt das Auge friedlich zu. Erwachst du Kleiner, o so lächle wieder, Und schau ihr hell ins Mutterangesicht: So lauter Liebe schaut es auf Dich nieder, Noch kennest du die Liebe nicht. Bald aber lernst du sie aus ihren Blicken, Aus ihrem Herzen, wenn es sanft bewegt Von mütterlichem volleren Entzücken An deinem kleinen Herzen schlägt. Und lernest Sprache zu des Herzens Triebe, Zuerst mit Stammeln nur den Mutterlaut, Und bald noch manches süße Wort der Liebe, Und wirst den deinen so vertraut. Und lernst den theuren Vater auch erkennen, Und eilst ihm zu von deiner Mutter Brust, Und lernst die Dinge scheiden und benennen, Und fühlst des Denkens neue Lust. Und lernest beten aus der Mutter Munde Nach ihres Herzens kindlich frommem Sinn, Es weiset dir in stiller Abendstunde Der Vater nach den Sternen hin; Dort, wo der Vater aller Menschen wohnet, Der dich, und alle seine Kinder liebt, Der alles Gute väterlich belohnet, Und jedem seine Freude gibt. Da wandelst du so rein und froh auf Erden, Dein Herz so gläubig und so gut und weich! So bleibe, Holder, willst du glücklich werden, Denn solcher ist das Himmelreich. 1 In Schubert's first version of the song this word is changed to 'holden' (beauteous) 2 In Schubert's first version of the song this word is changed to 'leis' (soft)
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Abendunterhaltungen für den Winter. Wien 1817 bey Carl Gerold, pages 248-249.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 248 [272 von 428] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ137135103