by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825 - 1898)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Im Spätboot
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA
Aus der Schiffsbank mach ich meinen Pfühl.
Endlich wird die heiße Stirne kühl!
O wie suß erkaltet mir das Herz!
O wie weich verstummen Lust und Schmerz!
Über mir des Rohres schwarzer Rauch
Wiegt und biegt sich in des Windes Hauch.
Hüben hier und drüben wieder dort
Hält das Boot an manchem kleinen Port:
Bei der Schiffslaterne kargem Schein
Steigt ein Schatten aus und niemand ein.
Nur der Steurer noch, der wacht und steht!
Nur der Wind, der mir im Haare weht!
Schmerz und Lust erleiden sanften Tod.
Einen Schlummrer trägt das dunkle Boot.

Confirmed with Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, Gedichte, fünfte vermehrte Auflage, Leipzig: H. Haessel, 1892, page 39. Appears in 2. Stunde. Reprint, ed. by Karl Maria Guth, Berlin: Hofenberg, 2015.


Text Authorship:

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

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Al darrer vaixell", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "In de laatste boot", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "In the last boat", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Nicolas Certenais) , "Dans le Bateau tardif", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Nella barca della sera", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 94

In the last boat
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
 The boat's bench I make my pillow.
 Finally is my hot forehead cool!
 O, how sweetly does my heart grow colder!
 How softly joys and pains are stilled!
 Above me the black smoke from the funnel
 sways and wavers in the breath of the breeze.
 Over here and then over there
 the boat puts in at many a small port:
 by the dim glow of the ship's lantern
 a shadow disembarks and no one comes on board.
 Only the helmsman is left, standing watching!
 Only the wind, that ruffles my hair!
 Pain and joy die a gentle death.
 The dark boat bears away this sleeping man.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 107