Nestle up to this little boat

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by Christian Reinhold (1813 - 1856)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

An den See

(Sung text for setting by J. Lang)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG ENG FRE

  Um dies Schifflein schmiege,
Holder See, dich sacht!
Frommer Liebe Wiege,
Nimm sie wohl in Acht!

  Deine Wellen rauschen;
Rede nicht so laut!
Laß mich ihr nur lauschen,
Die mir viel vertraut!

  Deine Wellen rauschen,
Spiegeln uns zurück
Tausendfach die feuchten
Augen voller Glück.

  Deine Wellen zittern
Vor der Sonne Glut;
Ob sie heimlich wittern,
Wie die Liebe tut?

  Weit und weiter immer
Rück den Strand hinaus!
Aus dem Himmel nimmer
Laß uns steigen aus!

  Fern von Menschenreden
Und von Menschensinn,
Als ein schwimmend Eden
Trag dies Schifflein hin!

First published in the periodical Morgenblatt, November 9, 1840 (No. 268).

Note to Lang's setting: Lang was working a text that Köstlin had copied out for her (Christian Reinhold Köstlin’s poetry manuscripts, Cod.hist. 4º 437, Fasz. 10a Nr. 1, poem [23], Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Stuttgart, Germany); in that copy the poem began with "Um." With the exception of "rauschen" in stanza 3 (which was Lang's error) all the other differences are also from that poetry manuscript.

Composition:

Josephine Lang

Text Authorship:

by Christian Reinhold (1813 - 1856), no title, written 1840, appears in Gedichte, in Lieder und vermischte Gedichte, in Seelieder, no. 11, first published 1840

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Op het meer (Kabbel langs dit scheepje)", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Nestle up to this little boat", copyright ©
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Sur le lac", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 95

To the lake

(Sung text translation for setting by J. Lang)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  Nestle up around to this little boat
Gently, lovely lake!
It is the cradle of devout love,
Guard it carefully!

  Your waves are rushing;
Do not speak so loudly!
Let me listen only to her
Who entrusts many things to me!

  Your waves are rushing,
A thousand-fold they reflect
Back to us our moist
Eyes full of happiness.

  Your waves tremble
Before the blazing of the sun;
Do they secretly sense
How love behaves?

  Far and ever farther
Move away from the shore!
Let us never disembark
From this heaven!

  Far from the gossip of people
And from their ponderings,
Carry this little boat away
Like a floating Eden!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2021 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 Christian Reinhold (1813 - 1856), no title, written 1840, appears in Gedichte, in Lieder und vermischte Gedichte, in Seelieder, no. 11, first published 1840
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This text was added to the website: 2021-09-22
Line count: 24
Word count: 113