Ellens Gesang II (Jäger, ruhe von der Jagd), D 838

Ellen's song II

(Poet's title: Ellens Gesang II)

Part of  Sieben Gesänge aus Walter Scott’s Fräulein vom See 

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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Ellen Douglas’s second song is simply a continuation of her first (D 837 Ellens Gesang I). Ellen, ‘the lady of the lake’, in Scott’s verse narrative, is offering hospitality to a visitor who got lost on the banks of Lake Katrine after his horse had died in the course of a deer hunt.

In the event, as Scott’s story continues, Ellen’s song is ineffective. The visitor has a restless night and is troubled by dreams about the dying horse.

     She sung, and still a harp unseen
     Filled up the symphony between.

     XXXI.

     Song.

     Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er,
          Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking;
     Dream of battled fields no more,
          Days of danger, nights of waking.
     In our isle's enchanted hall,
          Hands unseen thy couch are strewing,
     Fairy strains of music fall,
          Every sense in slumber dewing.
     Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er,
     Dream of fighting fields no more;
     Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
     Morn of toil, nor night of waking.

     'No rude sound shall reach thine ear,
          Armor's clang or war-steed champing
     Trump nor pibroch summon here
          Mustering clan or squadron tramping.
     Yet the lark's shrill fife may come
          At the daybreak from the fallow,
     And the bittern sound his drum
          Booming from the sedgy shallow.
     Ruder sounds shall none be near,
     Guards nor warders challenge here,
     Here's no war-steed's neigh and champing,
     Shouting clans or squadrons stamping.'

     XXXII.

     She paused,—then, blushing, led the lay,
     To grace the stranger of the day.
     Her mellow notes awhile  prolong
     The cadence of the flowing song,
     Till to her lips in measured frame
     The minstrel verse spontaneous came.

     Song Continued.

     'Huntsman, rest! thy chase is done;
          While our slumbrous spells assail ye,
     Dream not, with the rising sun,
          Bugles here shall sound reveille.
     Sleep! the deer is in his den;
          Sleep! thy hounds are by thee lying;
     Sleep! nor dream in yonder glen
     How thy gallant steed lay dying.
     Huntsman, rest! thy chase is done;
     Think not of the rising sun,
     For at dawning to assail ye
     Here no bugles sound reveille.'

     XXXIII.

     The hall was cleared,—the stranger's bed,
     Was there of mountain heather spread,
     Where oft a hundred guests had lain,
     And dreamed their forest sports again.
     But vainly did the heath-flower shed
     Its moorland fragrance round his head;
     Not Ellen's spell had lulled to rest
     The fever of his troubled breast.
     In broken dreams the image rose
     Of varied perils, pains, and woes:
      His steed now flounders in the brake,
     Now sinks his barge upon the lake;
     Now leader of a broken host,
     His standard falls, his honor's lost.
     Then,—from my couch may heavenly might
     Chase that worst phantom of the night!—

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Original Spelling and note on the text

Ellens Gesang II

Jäger, ruhe von der Jagd!
Weicher Schlummer soll dich decken,
Träume nicht, wenn Sonn' erwacht,
Daß Jagdhörner dich erwecken1.

Schlaf! der Hirsch ruht in der Höhle,
Bei dir sind die Hunde wach,
Schlaf, nicht quäl' es deine Seele,
Daß dein edles Roß erlag.

Jäger ruhe von der Jagd!
Weicher Schlummer soll dich decken;
Wenn der junge Tag erwacht,
Wird kein Jägerhorn dich wecken.

1  Schubert appears to have changed Storck's 'dich aufwecken' (are waking you up) to 'dich erwecken' (are rousing you).

Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, Das Fräulein vom See. Ein Gedicht in sechs Gesängen von Walter Scott. Aus dem Englischen, und mit einer historischen Einleitung und Anmerkungen von D. Adam Storck, weiland Professor in Bremen. Zweite, vom Uebersetzer selbst noch verbesserte Auflage. Essen, bei G. D. Bädeker. 1823, page 35; and with Das Fräulein vom See. Ein Gedicht in sechs Gesängen von Walter Scott. Aus dem Englischen, und mit einer historischen Einleitung und Anmerkungen von D. Adam Storck, Professor in Bremen. Essen, bei G. D. Bädeker. 1819, pages 37-38.

To see an early edition of the text, go to page 35 here: https://books.google.at/books?id=p0YRAQAAMAAJ

For the full text of The Lady of the Lake: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3011/3011-h/3011-h.htm