The boatman
(Poet's title: Der Schiffer)
Set by Schubert:
D 694
[March 1820]
Friedlich lieg ich hingegossen,
Lenke hin und her das Ruder,
Atme kühl im Licht des Mondes,
Träume süß im stillen Mute;
Gleiten lass ich auch den Kahn,
Schaue in die blanken Fluten,
Wo die Sterne lieblich schimmern,
Spiele wieder mit dem Ruder.
Säße doch das blonde Mägdlein
Vor mir auf dem Bänkchen ruhend,
Sänge schmachtend zarte Lieder.
Himmlisch wär mir dann zu Mute.
Ließ mich necken von dem Kinde,
Wieder tändelnd mit der Guten.
Friedlich lieg ich hingegossen,
Träume süß im stillen Mute,
Atme kühl im Licht des Mondes,
Führe hin und her das Ruder.
I am reclining peacefully
As I guide the rudder back and forth,
I am breathing the cool air in the moonlight,
Dreaming sweetly, in an untroubled mood;
I also let the boat glide along,
I look into the shining waters
Where the stars are glistening lovingly
And I play with the rudder again.
If only that blond girl were sitting
In front of me resting on that little bench,
I would be lazily singing tender songs.
My mood would then rise up to the sky.
I would let myself be teased by the child,
And she would let me flirt with her in return. –
I am reclining peacefully,
Dreaming sweetly, in an untroubled mood,
I am breathing the cool air in the moonlight,
As I direct the rudder back and forth.
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 Breath and breathing Dreams Floods and tides Heaven, the sky Mirrors and reflections Night and the moon Noise and silence On the water – rowing and sailing Songs (general) Stars Surface of the water Sweetness
It is the ‘auch’ (also) in line 5 that tells us everything: he is ALSO letting the boat glide along. He is aware that it is HE who is the real drifter. He lies back and waits, breathing and dreaming but hardly doing anything else. The odd touch on the rudder (or possibly the oars) allows him to avoid an accident and to continue floating on the current, but he is doing the minimum.
There are times in life when it is probably right to go with the flow. Other times require us to take the initiative, to struggle or to defy the elements (as in Mayrhofer’s Der Schiffer, Schubert’s D 536). Or are we dealing with a particular personality type rather than someone at a specific stage in life? Some people are genuine drifters, who are happy to let the river of life carry them along.
We can be certain, though, that this sort of languid floating has nothing to do with depression. The speaker is fully alive. He is aware of the details of the environment, the moon and the stars, the air and the water. His mental life is busy with erotic fantasies (he is holding the rudder, remember). He is being carried along on a strong current of emotion and engagement with life.
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Original Spelling Der Schiffer Friedlich lieg' ich hingegossen, Lenke hin und her das Ruder, Athme kühl im Licht des Mondes, Träume süß im stillen Muthe; Gleiten lass' ich auch den Kahn, Schaue in die blanken Fluthen, Wo die Sterne lieblich schimmern, Spiele wieder mit dem Ruder. Säße doch das blonde Mägdlein Vor mir auf dem Bänkchen ruhend, Sänge schmachtend zarte Lieder. Himmlisch wär' mir dann zu Muthe. Ließ mich necken von dem Kinde, Wieder tändelnd mit der Guten. - Friedlich lieg' ich hingegossen, Träume süß im stillen Muthe, Athme kühl im Licht des Mondes, Führe hin und her das Ruder.
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, Fridrich Schlegel’s Gedichte. Erster Theil. Neueste Auflage. Wien 1816. Bey B. Ph. Bauer. pages 57-58; with Friedrich Schlegel’s sämmtliche Werke. Erster Band. Gedichte. Berlin, bei Julius Eduard Hitzig, 1809, page 52; and with Friedrich Schlegel’s sämmtliche Werke, Achter Band, Wien: bey Jakob Mayer und Compagnie, 1823, page 132.
Note: Schlegel, in the 1809 and 1816 editions, did not divide the poem into two stanzas.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 57 [65 von 190] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ20491940X