The lovable star
(Poet's title: Der liebliche Stern)
Set by Schubert:
D 861
[December 1825]
Ihr Sternlein, still in der Höhe,
Ihr Sternlein, spielend im Meer,
Wenn ich von ferne daher
So freundlich euch leuchten sehe,
So wird mir von Wohl und Wehe
Der Busen so bang und so schwer.
Es zittert von Frühlingswinden
Der Himmel im flüssigen Grün;
Manch Sternlein sah ich entblühn,
Manch Sternlein sah ich entschwinden;
Doch kann ich das schönste nicht finden,
Das früher dem Liebenden schien.
Nicht kann ich zum Himmel mich schwingen,
Zu suchen den freundlichen Stern,
Stets hält ihn die Wolke mir fern.
Tief unten, da möcht es gelingen,
Das friedliche Ziel zu erringen,
Tief unten da ruht’ ich so gern.
Was wiegt ihr im laulichen Spiele,
Ihr Lüftchen, den wogenden Kahn?
O treibt ihn auf rauerer Bahn,
Hernieder in’s Wogengewühle!
Lasst tief in der wallenden Kühle
Dem lieblichen Sterne mich nahn!
You little stars, quiet up there in the heights,
You little stars, playing in the sea,
When I look at you there from such a distance,
When I see you shining in such a friendly way,
Then I become both well and ill,
This breast is so anxious and so heavy.
There is a trembling from the spring winds
In the sky, turning the greenery into liquid;
I have seen many a little star blossom,
I have seen many a little star disappear;
But I cannot find the most beautiful one,
The one which earlier shone on this person in love.
I cannot launch myself into the sky
To look for that friendly star;
The cloud is always holding it too far away from me!
Deep down there I might be able to manage it,
To reach the peaceful goal!
Deep down there is where I could so happily rest!
What is this rocking as you play gently,
You breezes, why are you rocking the swaying boat?
Oh, drive it on a rougher course
Down there into the whirlpool!
Let me go down deep into the swirling coolness
And let me approach that lovable star!
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:
Boats Chest / breast Clouds Flying, soaring and gliding Green Heaven, the sky High, low and deep Near and far On the water – rowing and sailing Rocking Rivers – waterfalls, rapids and whirlpools The sea Spring (season) Stars Surface of the water Swaying and swinging Under the water, sinking and drowning Waves – Woge Wind
Up and down, up and down! The quest for the little star that promises rest and fulfilment lifts the poet to the heights of heaven and plunges him to the depths of the sea, into ecstasies of passion and into the whirlpools of depression. Ever since Goethe’s Auf dem See (Schubert’s D 543), if not before, poets had seen expanses of water as mirrors which allowed them to look up by looking down, and, like Goethe, they exploited the metaphorical associations of reaching the heavens by means of going beneath the surface of things.
Here Schulze is trying to cope with a romantic obsession which he identifies with an unattainable star. He cannot help but see the twinkling starlight as some sort of friendly invitation (he has not yet reached the awareness that the stars have no interest in us, which he expresses at the end of An mein Herz, D 860). He tries to fly up in response, to enter the realm of heaven, but he soon realises that the only possibility is to descend. The sky does offer breezes, which shake the trees and bushes on earth and which rock the boat in which he is sitting. However, gentle cradling is not enough for him. He needs something rougher, something altogether more turbulent.
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Original Spelling and notes on the text Der liebliche Stern Ihr Sternlein, still in der Höhe, Ihr Sternlein, spielend im Meer, Wenn ich von ferne daher So freundlich euch leuchten sehe, So wird mir von Wohl und Wehe Der1 Busen so bang und so schwer. Es zittert von Frühlingswinden Der Himmel im flüssigen Grün; Manch Sternlein sah ich entblühn, Manch Sternlein sah ich entschwinden; Doch kann ich das schönste nicht finden, Das früher dem Liebenden schien. Nicht kann ich zum Himmel mich schwingen, Zu suchen den freundlichen Stern; Stets hält ihn die Wolke mir fern! Tief unten da möcht' es gelingen, Das friedliche Ziel zu erringen! Tief unten da ruht' ich so gern! Was wiegt ihr im laulichen Spiele, Ihr Lüftchen, den wogenden2 Kahn? O treibt ihn auf rauherer Bahn Hernieder in's Wogengewühle! Laßt tief in der wallenden Kühle Dem lieblichen Sterne mich nahn! 1 Schubert changed 'Mein' (My) to 'Der' (This) 2 Schubert changed 'schwankenden' to 'wogenden'
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, Ernst Schulze’s sämmtliche poetische Schriften. Dritter Band. I. Poetisches Tagebuch. […] Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. 1819, page 63; and with Sämmtliche poetische Werke von Ernst Schulze. Neue Ausgabe mit sechszehn Kupfern. Dritter Theil. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. 1822, page 64.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 63 [79 von 336] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ170542803