by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation by Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887)
Bleib du in deiner Meerestiefe
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): FRE
Bleib du in deiner Meerestiefe, Wahnsinniger Traum, Der du einst so manche Nacht Mein Herz mit falschem Glück gequält hast, Und jetzt, als Seegespenst, Sogar am hellen Tag mich bedrohest -- Bleib du dort unten, in Ewigkeit, Und ich werfe noch zu dir hinab All meine Schmerzen und Sünden, Und die Schellenkappe der Torheit, Die so lange mein Haupt umklingelt, Und die kalte, gleißende Schlangenhaut Der Heuchelei, Die mir so lang die Seele umwunden, Die kranke Seele, Die gottverleugnende, engelverleugnende, Unselige Seele -- Hoiho! hoiho! Da kommt der Wind! Die Segel auf! Sie flattern und schwelln! Über die stillverderbliche Fläche Eilet das Schiff, Und es jauchzt die befreite Seele.
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Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Reinigung", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Nordsee, in Erster Zyklus, no. 11 [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 (Friedrich) August Bungert (1845 - 1915), "Reinigung", op. 12 no. 2, published 1876 [ baritone or alto and piano ], from Meer-Lieder : Drei Lieder, no. 2, Berlin, Luckhardt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georg Capellen (1869 - 1934), "Bleib du in deiner Meerestiefe", op. 20 (Drei Lieder) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Catharinus Elling (1858 - 1942), "Reinigung / Heine, aus den Nordseebildern", op. 12 no. 14 [ voice and piano ], from Catharinus Elling-Album, no. 14, Kjøbenhavn (Copenhagen), Kongelig (Kgl.) Hof-Musikhandel [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Elie-André Clot , "Purification", written 1911, appears in Le Retour et La Mer du Nord, essai d'imitation poétique, Lyon, Éd. A. Rey & Cie, first published 1911 ; composed by Paul Ponthus.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emma Lazarus) , "Purification", appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Purification", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-05-06
Line count: 22
Word count: 107
Purification
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Remain in thy deep sea-home,
Thou insane dream,
Which so many a night
Hast tortured my heart with a counterfeit happiness,
And which now as a vision of the sea
Dost threaten me even in the broad daylight.
Remain there below to all eternity!
And I cast moreover down unto thee
All my sorrows and sins,
And the cap and bells of folly
That have jingled so long upon my head.
And the cold, sleek serpent's skin
Of dissimulation,
Which so long has enwound my soul --
My sick soul,
My God-denying, angel-denying
Wretched soul.
Hilli-ho! Hilli-ho! Here comes the breeze.
Up with the sails! They flutter and belly to the wind.
Over the treacherous smooth plain
Hastens the ship
And the emancipated soul rejoices.
Text Authorship:
- by Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887), "Purification", appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Reinigung", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Nordsee, in Erster Zyklus, no. 11
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-05-06
Line count: 22
Word count: 124