The apparition
(Poet's title: Die Erscheinung)
Set by Schubert:
D 229
[July 7, 1815]
Part of Kosegarten (putative cycle)
Ich lag auf grünen Matten,
An klarer Quellen Rand.
Mir kühlten Erlenschatten
Der Wangen heißen Brand.
Ich dachte dieß und jenes
Und träumte sanft betrübt
Viel Gutes und viel Schönes,
Das diese Welt nicht gibt!
Und sieh, dem Hain entschwebte
Ein Mägdlein sonnenklar;
Ein weißer Schleier webte
Um ihr nussbraunes Haar.
Ihr Auge feucht und schimmernd
Umfloss ätherisch Blau;
Die Wimper fasste flimmernd
Der Wehmut Perlentau.
Ein traurig Lächeln schwebte
Um ihren süßen Mund;
Sie schauerte, sie bebte,
Ihr Auge tränend wund,
Ihr Hinschaun liebesehnend,
Sie, wähnt´ ich, suchte mich –
Wer war wie ich so wähnend?
So selig, wer, wie ich?
Ich auf, sie zu umfassen,
Und ach! sie trat zurück.
Ich sah sie schnell erblassen,
Und trüber ward ihr Blick.
Sie sah mich an so innig,
Sie wies mit ihrer Hand
Bedeutend und tiefsinnig
Gen Himmel und verschwand.
Fahr wohl! fahr wohl, Erscheinung!
Fahr wohl, dich kenn ich wohl!
Und deines Winkes Meinung
Versteh ich, wie ich soll! –
Wohl für die Zeit geschieden,
Knüpft uns ein schönres Band;
Hoch oben, nicht hienieden,
Hat Lieb ihr Vaterland.
I lay on green meadows
By the edge of a clear spring;
The shades of alder trees cooled
The hot burning on my cheeks.
I thought about this and that,
And I dreamt with gentle sorrow
Of many things that are good and beautiful
That are not given in this world.
And lo and behold, floating out of the grove came
A girl, as clear as the sun.
A white veil was woven
Around her nut-brown hair.
Her eyes were moist and glowing,
An ethereal blue flowed around,
Her eyelids closed and on them flickered
The pearly dew of sorrow.
A sad smile hovered
Around her sweet mouth.
She shuddered, she trembled!
Her eyes were sore from weeping,
Her gaze was full of the longing of love,
She was searching for me, as I imagined it.
She who was, like me, so happily misled,
Who was as happy as I?
I got up in order to embrace her!
And oh, she stepped back.
I saw her quickly go pale,
And her look turned more gloomy.
She looked at me in such an inward way,
She pointed with her hand,
Significant and profoundly meaningful,
Towards heaven, and she disappeared.
Farewell, farewell, apparition!
Farewell, I know you well!
And the significance of your gesture
Is something I understand, as I should . . .
Even though separated for the time being,
A more beautiful connection binds us;
High up there, not down here,
Is where love has its fatherland!
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:
Alder trees Arms and embracing Blue Brown By water – beaches and general Cheeks Dew Dreams Ether Eyes Fading and losing colour Fields and meadows Fire Gazes, glimpses and glances Mouths Grass Green Hair Hands Heaven, the sky Here and there Home (Heimat) Knots and bonds Longing and yearning Pearls Smiling Springs, sources and fountains Sweetness Tears and crying Veils Weaving White Woods – groves and clumps of trees (Hain)
The story begins on the ground and ends with a reflection on the term ‘land’. The moral of the story is made explicit in the final stanza: love’s fatherland is not down here on earth. Although the poet is grounded in an attractive native landscape, there are hints from the beginning that all is not quite right. Lying on beautiful green grass by a delightful spring, he is still exposed to dangerous ‘burning’ (and is only protected by the shade of alders). He finds his mind wandering off, and all of the things he dreams about are unavailable to him here. Rather than paying attention to the beauty around him, he thinks and daydreams himself out of his environment.
The vision that follows embodies all of the sweet and beautiful things that this world does not offer him. Primarily, of course, what he does not have access to is his ideal erotic fantasy, and so in stanza two she arrives in full Technicolour: a white veil over nut-brown hair, ethereal blue eyes moistened by pearly dew. Stanza three describes her sadness and vulnerability; what makes her so attractive is her desperate desire for the fantasising poet. Shuddering and sobbing, longing and frustration can be so alluring (particularly for the frustrated male whose own shuddering is getting him nowhere).
He seems to be aware that the whole thing is a fantasy. Even when he congratulates himself on being so blissfully happy he admits that he is deluded (‘Wer war, wie ich, so wähnend, /So selig’). He is therefore not surprised when his attempts to embrace the vision end in failure. Of course she withdraws and gestures towards that other dimension where their union might be attainable. Her look is ‘innig’ (inward) and her gesture is ‘tiefsinnig’ (deeply meaningful), but the poet can see far enough into her soul and deep enough into her intended meaning to allow him to feel confident in giving voice to the silent vanishing vision: ‘Come up and join me some time’. She is the Mae West of the 18th century.
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Original Spelling and notes on the text Die Erscheinung Ich lag auf grünen Matten, An klarer Quellen Rand. Mir kühlten Erlenschatten Der Wangen heissen Brand. Ich dachte dieß und jenes, Und träumte sanftbetrübt Viel Gutes und viel Schönes1, Das diese Welt nicht gibt. Und sieh dem Hayn entschwebte Ein Mägdlein sonnenklar. Ein weisser Schleyer webte Um ihr nußbraunes Haar. Ihr Auge feucht und schimmernd Umfloß ätherisch Blau, Die Wimpern faßte flimmernd Der Wehmuth Perlenthau. Ein traurig Lächeln schwebte Um ihren süssen Mund. Sie schauerte, sie bebte. Ihr Auge thränenwund, Ihr Hinschaun liebesehnend, Sie wähnt´ ich, suchte mich. Wer war wie ich so wähnend, So selig wer, wie ich! Ich auf sie zu umfassen - Und ach! sie trat zurück. Ich sah sie schnell erblassen, Und trüber ward ihr Blick. Sie sah mich an so innig, Sie wies mit ihrer Hand, Bedeutend2 und tiefsinnig Gen Himmel, und verschwand. Fahr wohl, fahr wohl, Erscheinung! Fahr wohl, dich kenn' ich wohl! Und deines Winkes Meinung Versteh' ich, wie ich soll! - Wohl für die Zeit geschieden Knüpft3 uns ein schön´res Band. Hoch oben, nicht hienieden, Hat Lieb' ihr Vaterland. 1 Schubert changed 'Viel Süßes mir und Schönes' (many things that are sweet for me and beautiful) to 'Viel Gutes und viel Schönes' (many things that are good and beautiful) 2 Schubert changed Erhaben (solemn) to Bedeutend (significant) 3 Schubert changed Eint (unites) to Knüpft (ties)
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, L.T.Kosegarten’s Poesieen, Neueste Auflage, Zweyter Band, Berlin 1803, pages 196-198; and with Kosegarten’s Dichtungen. Siebenter Band. Lyrischer Gedichte Siebentes, achtes, neuntes Buch. Greifswald, gedruckt beym Königl. Directeur J.H. Eckhardt. 1813, pages 20-22.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 196 [200 von 298] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ184217005