Stanzas
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
The night-storm roars about Pindus' heights,
The winds are deeply angry,
And rivers of rain flow down
From the dark army of clouds.
No guide can be perceived any longer,
The flash of lightning barely shows us
The rocky cliffs that hide the pathway,
[Barely shows us] the foaming of the river of rain.
Now I see the roof of a hut,
If the weak vestige of light
Does not deceive me, but woe! woe!
It is only a Turkish grave.
A sound has now carved itself a path
Through the howling. --
My lost compatriot is calling:
Old England! through the night.
A shot rings out – another -- are there
Brigands creeping about here? oh no!
This sign calls the inhabitants of the mountain
To come to our aid.
Oh, even if this weak shot, too,
Penetrated the roaring of the thunder,
Who would willingly go out
In such a pouring rain?
These paths are unsafe as well,
Whoever heard our calls
In the dark night along the rocky strand,
Would easily think of robbery.
The clouds burst, everything around
Harbours fearsome night!
Only one thought, blissfully gentle,
Makes me happy even here.
Florentia! whither do you tarry while
I walk through rocks and thorns;
And all the elements, fermenting,
Pour down their wrath?
You are not upon the sea -- your ship
Must long be in harbour already.
Oh! as long as the storms sleep for you,
May the worst threaten me.
Yes, the sirocco came a-flying
After the recompense of your kiss;
Quickly upon the white foaming wave
Your proud ship sailed off.
You landed in Spain,
Oh benevolent one, beautiful and good;
It would be too cruel if your ship
Were still driven by surging waves upon the waters.
As I yet ever think of you
Even in storm, danger, and night,
As in the bright glitter of the festival
Where loud rejoicing laughs;
Thus must you think of me in
The white walls of Cadiz,
And must with mourning often gaze
Seaward from out of its halls;
May Calypsa's [sic] island ever be
Precious to you in your heart;
With others you may smile, jest --
Your sighs must be for me.
And if the circle of your admirers try
To discover the reason for the veil of melancholy
That, quietly gliding over your features,
Dulls your eyes,
Then you shall smile, to evade
The badinage of the fops;
Never to reveal of whom you think,
Even if he also thinks of you eternally.
Pain and tears are for naught
In hearts that are separated;
Yet my longing soars over land and sea
To the heart that knows me.
Translation of the note below the title: "Written on 11 October 1809 during a stormy
night, close to the mountain range formerly called Pindus, in Albania, when our
guides had lost the road to Zitza."
Note to Stanza 15, line 1: The published poem contains a footnote identifying "Calypsa's island" as "Sicily."
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 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.
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Based on:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2011-07-06
Line count: 72
Word count: 441