My barque has battled | My barque has battled

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by Elisabeth Kulmann (1808 - 1825)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Gekämpft hat meine Barke

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE FRE

Gekämpft hat meine Barke
Mit der erzürnten Flut.
Ich seh' des Himmels Marke,
Es sinkt des Meeres Wut.

Ich kann dich nicht vermeiden,
O Tod nicht meiner Wahl!
Das Ende meiner Leiden
Beginnt der Mutter Qual.

O Mutterherz, dich drücke
Dein Schmerz nicht allzu sehr!
Nur wenig Augenblicke
Trennt uns des Todes Meer.

Dort angelangt, entweiche
Ich nimmermehr dem Strand:
Seh' stets nach dir, und reiche
Der Landenden die Hand.

Note: at the top of the Schumann score is the following text: "Wohl kurz vor ihrem Ende gedichtet. Ihr baldiger Tod scheint ihr gewiss; nur der Gedanke an die zurückbleibende Mutter macht ihr Schmerz, den tiefsten."

Text Authorship:

by Elisabeth Kulmann (1808 - 1825), "Gekämpft hat meine Barke", appears in Neue Gemäldesammlung in zwanzig Säälen [sic], in Vierzehnter Saal, no. 14 [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 Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Gekämpft hat meine Barke", op. 104 no. 7 (1851), published 1851 [ voice and piano ], from Sieben Lieder von Elisabeth Kulmann zur Erinnerung an die Dichterin, no. 7, Leipzig, Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La meva barca ha lluitat", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Gevochten heeft mijn scheepje", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "My barque has battled", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ma barque a lutté", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Ma barque a mené le combat", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 70

My barque has battled

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

My barque has battled
With the wild waters.
I can see the heavenly realm,
The ocean's rage is subsiding.

I cannot avoid you,
Oh death not of my choosing!
The end of my suffering
Signals the beginning of my mother's agony.

Oh mother, may your sorrow
Not oppress your heart too much!
Only for a few moments
Shall the sea of death divide us.

Once I have arrived [in heaven],
I shall never leave the shore;
Rather, I shall always look towards you
And reach out my hand to help you land.

Translation of the text at the top of the Schumann score: "A poem likely written shortly before the end of her life. She seems certain of her approaching death; only the thought of her mother, who will be left behind, causes her pain - the deepest."

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 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 Elisabeth Kulmann (1808 - 1825), "Gekämpft hat meine Barke", appears in Neue Gemäldesammlung in zwanzig Säälen [sic], in Vierzehnter Saal, no. 14
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-03-20
Line count: 16
Word count: 92