Northland | The smell of tar, the old dear smell

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by Hellmut Draws-Tychsen (1904 - 1973)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Nordland

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Teergeruch, der alte liebe. 
Muskeln werdet straff, 
Daß mein frisches Boot ich schiebe 
In das binsenweite Haff.

Schaukelt mich, ihr grünen Wellen.
Dommeln roren laut und leis.
Aus den Wassern Träume quellen.
Meine Wangen werden heiß.

Herzqualm, Pech in langen Strähnen,
Reusen, schlei- und aalbeschwert!
Wie sich meine Nüstern dehnen:
Heimatwasser, Heimaterd!

Braune Madeln, niddener Trachten,
Breite Brüste, blondes Haar,
Wie da meine Augen lachten:
Nordland, Du so wunderbar!

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Confirmed with Hellmut Draws-Tychsen, Mein Westpreußenland: ein Cyclus Heimatlieder, Danzig: Danziger Verlags-Gesellschaft, 1929, page 7.

Text Authorship:

by Hellmut Draws-Tychsen (1904 - 1973), "Nordland", written 1925, appears in Mein Westpreußenland: ein Cyclus Heimatlieder [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Julius Gessinger (1899 - 1986), "Nordland", op. 40, Heft 1 no. 4 (c1939), published 1965 [ baritone and piano ], Schwäbisch-Hall: Musikverlag Schwäbisch-Hall [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Northland", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2022-09-28
Line count: 16
Word count: 69

Northland

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The smell of tar, the old dear smell.
Muscles, become taut,
So that I may push my new boat
Into the wide, rush-lined lagoon.

Rock me, ye green waves.
Bitterns call loudly and quietly.
Dreams spring forth from the waters.
My cheeks grow warm.

Seaweed, pitch in long strands,
Weirs, laden with tench and eels!
How my nostrils widen:
Waters of my homeland, soil of my homeland!

Brown maidens in the garb of Nidden,
Broad breasts, blonde hair,
How my eyes laughed then:
Northland, you [are] so wonderful!

Translator's note to stanza 3, line 1: Despite much effort I have been unable to find a translation for "Herzqualm." Given the context, I believe it might be a kind of seaweed and have used that word in place of something more specific.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hellmut Draws-Tychsen (1904 - 1973), "Nordland", written 1925, appears in Mein Westpreußenland: ein Cyclus Heimatlieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-02-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 88