Dew

Dew, Hieronimus Brunschwig, Kleines Distillierbuch, 1500
Dew, Hieronimus Brunschwig, Kleines Distillierbuch, 1500

Like the dew on the mountain,
          Like the foam on the river,
     Like the bubble on the fountain,
          Thou art gone, and forever!

Wie Tau auf den Bergen, 
Wie Schaum auf dem Bache,
Wie Blas' auf der Welle -
Bist ewig geschieden.

Walter Scott, Coronach, from The Lady of the Lake III: 16, set by Schubert in a German translation by Philip Adam Storck, D 836

The idea of dew as temporary, as a symbol of the transience of human life, is common to a great deal of poetry. It is central, for example, in the Japanese Buddhist tradition:


露と落ち     露と消えにし     我が身かな      難波のことは      夢のま 夢
tsuyu to ochi  tsuyu to kienishi  waga mi kana  naniwa no koto wa  yume no mata yume

As the dew appears
As the dew disappears
Such is my life, that Naniwa
Is a dream within a dream.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598)



露の世は露の世ながらさりながら
Tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara

This dewdrop world - 
Is a dewdrop world, 
And yet, and yet . . .

Kobayashi Issa (1763 - 1828), English translation by Lewis Mackenzie

And yet, and yet, this idea is not particularly common in the German texts that Schubert set to music. Rather, it is the closely associated idea of dewdrops as tears that becomes the central metaphor relating to dew.

Tears can soothe melancholy just as dew can revive a meadow (note Schlegel’s skillful use of the rather obvious rhyme of Tau [dew] and Au [meadow, pasture]):

Wenn die feuchten
Augen leuchten
Von der Wehmut lindem Tau,
Dann entsiegelt,
Drin gespiegelt,
Sich dem Blick die Himmelsau.

When the damp
Eyes light up
With the soothing dew of melancholy,
Then unsealed 
And mirrored within
Comes a vision of the heavenly pastures.

August Wilhelm von Schlegel, Lob der Tränen	D 711

Stolberg-Stolberg used the same image (and the same rhyme) to describe the effects of mourners’ tears falling like dew on a grave:

Des Lebens Tag ist schwer und schwül;
Des Todes Atem leicht und kühl:
Er wehet freundlich uns hinab
Wie welkes Laub ins stille Grab.

Es scheint der Mond, es fällt der Tau
Auf's Grab wie auf die Blumenau,
Auch fällt der Freunde Trän' hinein,
Erhellt von sanfter Hoffnung Schein.

Life's day is heavy and sultry;
Death's breath is light and cool:
It floats down to us in a friendly way,
Like a faded leaf falling into a silent grave.

The moon shines, the dew descends 
Onto the grave as it does onto a flowery meadow;
The tears of friends also fall in,
Lit up by the glow of gentle hope.

Stolberg-Stolberg, Die Mutter Erde	D 788

In Kumpf’s Der Mondabend (The moonlit evening), D 141, the poet is overwhelmed by longing for the beloved (Silli) and cannot look on the moonlit landscape with a dry eye. The starlight and moonlight are transformed by haze (as if they themselves are eyes looking through tears) and dew settles on the ground, the poet’s tears of longing merge with the magnificent dew surrounding him.

Auf den goldnen Strahlen zittern
Süßer Wehmut Silbertropfen,
Dringen sanft mit leisem Hauche
In das stille Herz voll Liebe
Und befeuchten mir das Auge
Mit der Sehnsucht zartem Taue.

Glittering on the golden rays are
Silver drops of sweet sadness.
With light breath they gently infuse
The quiet heart, filling it with love,
And they moisten my eye
With the gentle dew of longing.

Kumpf, Der Mondabend	D 141

In Kosegarten’s Die Erscheinung (The Apparition), the poet has a vision of the unattainable beloved, but this time she is the one whose eyes are filled with dewy tears of longing and sadness.

Und sieh, dem Hain entschwebte
Ein Mägdlein sonnenklar;
Ein weißer Schleier webte
Um ihr nussbraunes Haar.
Ihr Auge feucht und schimmernd
Umfloss ätherisch Blau;
Die Wimper fasste flimmernd
Der Wehmut Perlentau.

And lo and behold, floating out of the grove came
A girl, as clear as the sun.
A white veil was woven
Around her nut-brown hair.
Her eyes were moist and glowing,
An ethereal blue flowed around,
Her eyelids closed and on them flickered
The pearly dew of sorrow.

Kosegarten, Die Erscheinung	D 229

These ‘pearls of dew’ in other texts can be tears of happiness too.

Der erste Blick 
Des Morgens wecket 
Unser Glück. 
Nur leicht bedecket 
Führt sie mich hin, 
Wo Florens Beete 
Die Königin 
Der Morgenröte 
Mit Tränen nässt, 
Und Perlen blitzen 
Von allen Spitzen 
Des Grases läßt. 

The first sight
Of morning
Awakens our happiness too.
Only lightly covered
She leads me on,
Towards Flora's flower beds, where
The queen of
Dawn
Waters them with her tears,
And she causes pearls to sparkle
In every blade
Of grass.

Bürger, Das Dörfchen	D 598

These teardrops / dewdrops water the grass and flowers, symbolising rebirth and renewal. Morning dew is frequently associated with spring, as in Schiller’s The refugee and Claudius’s Am ersten Maimorgen (Ode to the first morning of May):

Sei, Licht, mir gesegnet!
Dein Strahlenguss regnet
Erwärmend hernieder auf Anger und Au.
Wie flittern die Wiesen,
Wie silberfarb zittern
Tausend Sonnen im perlenden Tau

Let me bless you, light!
Your gushing beams rain down,
Giving warmth to the pastures and meadows below.
There is a silver-like glow in 
The meadows, as if 
A thousand suns were shaking in the pearls of dew!

Schiller, Der Flüchtling		D 67, D 402

Heute will ich fröhlich, fröhlich sein,
   Keine Weis' und keine Sitte hören,
Will mich wälzen und für Freude schrein,
   Und der König soll mir das nicht wehren.

Denn er kommt mit seiner Freuden Schar
   Heute aus der Morgenröte Hallen,
Einen Blumenkranz um Brust und Haar,
   Und auf seiner Schulter Nachtigallen.

Und sein Antlitz ist ihm rot und weiß,
   Und er träuft von Tau und Duft und Segen -
Ha! mein Thyrsus sei ein Knospenreis,
   Und so tauml' ich meinen Freund entgegen.

Today I am going to be really, really cheerful,
I am not going to listen to any preaching or moralizing,
I want to throw myself around and cry for joy,
And not even the King will be able to stop me;

For HE is arriving with his band of joys,
Today, out of the Halls of Dawn,
With a garland of flowers around his chest and hair,
And on his shoulder there are nightingales;

And his visage appears to be both red and white,
And trickling from him there is dew and scent and blessings - 
Ha! may my thyrsus be a budding sprig,
So that I can stagger towards my friend.

Claudius, Am ersten Maimorgen	D 344

A number of other texts make the same link between dew, flowers and rejuvenation or sunrise:

Die Munterkeit ist meinen Wangen,
Den Augen Glut und Sprach entgangen;
Der Mund will kaum ein Lächeln wagen;
Kaum will der welke Leib sich tragen,
Der Blumen am Mittage gleicht,
Wann Flora lechzt und Zephyr weicht.

Doch merk ich, wann sich Chloe zeiget,
Dass mein entflammter Blick nicht schweiget,
Und Suada nach den Lippen flieget;
Ein glühend Rot im Antlitz sieget,
Und alles sich an mir verjüngt,
Wie Blumen, die der Tau durchdringt.

There is no more liveliness in my cheeks,
It has gone from the glow in my eyes and my speech;
My mouth hardly dare form a smile;
My wilting body can barely carry itself,
It is like flowers in the middle of the day
When Flora is panting and Zephyr has stopped blowing.

But I notice when Chloe appears
That my inflamed gaze does not remain silent,
And Suada flows towards my lips,
A glowing red gains victory over my face,
And everything around me is rejuvenated,
Like flowers that are permeated by dew.

Uz, An Chloen		D 363

Ros' und Lilie morgentaulich
Blüht im Garten meiner Nähe

In the morning dew roses and lilies
Blossom in the garden near to me

Goethe, Im Gegenwärtigen Vergangenes	D 710

Horch, horch, die Lerch im Ätherblau,
Und Phöbus, neu erweckt,
Tränkt seine Rosse mit dem Tau,
Der Blumenkelche deckt;
Der Ringelblume Knospe schleußt
Die goldnen Äuglein auf;
Mit allem, was da reizend ist,
Du süße Maid, steh auf,
Steh auf, steh auf.

Listen, listen to the lark in the ethereal blue!
And Phoebus, newly awakened,
Leading his horses to drink the dew
That covers the calyces of the flowers;
The buds of the marigolds are beginning to open
Up their little golden eyes;
With everything that is charming there,
Oh sweet maid, get up!
Get up! Get up!

Shakespeare / Voß, Ständchen	D 889

When Voß translated ‘Hark, hark, the lark’ he in fact added the concept of dew, taking his cue from Shakespeare’s vivid image of ‘chaliced flowers’. The bloom (enclosed in a calyx) becomes a chalice, from which Phoebus’ horses can drink dew.

Hark, hark, the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs
On chaliced flowers that lies,
And winking Mary-buds begin to ope their golden eyes.
With every thing that pretty is, my lady sweet, arise,
Arise, arise.

Shakespeare, Cymbeline II, 3

In Schober’s ambitious symbolic balled Viola, early blossoming is presented as the tragic story of awakening sexuality. The dew on the violet becomes a young bride’s diamond necklace:

Schneeglöcklein, o Schneeglöcklein,
In den Auen läutest du,
Läutest in dem stillen Hain,
Läut die Blumen aus der Ruh.

Du Viola, zartes Kind,
Hörst zuerst den Wonnelaut,
Und sie stehet auf geschwind,
Schmücket sorglich sich als Braut,

Hüllet sich ins grüne Kleid,
Nimmt den Mantel sammetblau,
Nimmt das güldene Geschmeid
Und den Brilliantententau.

Snowdrop, you little snow bell!
You are ringing in the meadows,
You are ringing in the quiet grove,
Ring out and call the flowers from their rest!

Oh Viola, gentle child,
You are the first to hear the blissful sound,
And she gets up quickly,
She carefully puts on her bridal jewellery.

She wraps herself in a green dress,
Takes her velvet blue coat,;
Takes her golden jewellery
And the diamond dew.

Schober, Viola		D 786

In some poems, dew is another precious metal or stone: silver (D 627), crystal (D 382) or pearls (D 229; D 276; D 67, D 402; D 598). In a number of texts it is a reflecting surface or mirror (D 230; D 238; D 382; D 874).

Sometimes the dew represents water as a basic element of time (D 774) or space (D 225). Sometimes it is carried on the wind, perhaps with a hint at its source in atmospheric humidity (D 448; D 669; D 774). More often, though, it is presented as ‘heavenly’; it descends ‘from above’ and is a gift of God. In these contexts dew merges with manna or nectar.

In Schiller’s classical drinking song Dithyrambe (D 47; D 801) the poet joins the company of the Olympian gods and drinks the nectar (‘the heavenly dew’) that will blind him to the horrors of death (‘the Sytx’) and allow him to share the vision of the gods.

Reich ihm die Schale, 
O schenke dem Dichter,
Hebe, nur ein! 
Schenke nur ein!
Netz ihm die Augen mit himmlischem Taue,
Dass er den Styx, den verhassten, nicht schaue,
Einer der Unsern sich dünke zu sein.
     Sie rauschet, sie perlet, 
     Die himmlische Quelle,
     Der Busen wird ruhig, 
     Das Auge wird helle.

Hand him the bowl! 
Bestow it on the poet,
Just lift it.
Just pour it out!
Moisten his eyes with heavenly dew
So that he cannot see the hated Styx
And so that he imagines himself to be one of us.
It is babbling and sparkling
- That heavenly spring.
The breast becomes calm 
The eye becomes bright.

Schiller, Dithyrambe	D 47, D 801

In poems steeped in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, dew reminds the reader that God reliably provided manna for the chosen people in the wilderness and that the Lord is a good shepherd.

Was sorgest du? Sei stille, meine Seele,
Denn Gott ist ein guter Hirt, 
Der mir, auch wenn ich mich nicht quäle, 
Nichts mangeln lassen wird.  

Er weidet mich auf bluhmenreicher Aue, 
Er führt mich frischen Wassern zu, 
Und bringet mich, im kühlen Taue, 
Zur sichern Abendruh.  

What are you worried about? Be still, my soul!
For God is a good shepherd,
Who, even if I am not in torment,
Will never let me go without.

He lets me graze in meadows that are rich in flowers,
He leads me to fresh waters,
And in the cool dew he brings me
To a safe place to rest in the evening.

Silbert, Der gute Hirt	D 449

Wenn die Nachtigallen flöten,
Hebe dich, mein Geist, empor!
Bei des jungen Tags Erröten
Neig' o Vater, mir dein Ohr!
Von der Erde Freud' und Nöten
Steig, o Geist, im Duft der Au!
Send, o Vater, deinen Tau!

When the nightingales sing,
Lift yourself up, my spirit, rise up!
As the young day turns red
Turn your ear to me, oh father!
From the Earth's joys and necessities
Climb up, oh spirit, in the scent of the meadow!
Father, send your dew!

Stolberg-Stolberg, Abendlied	D 276

Der Odem Gottes weht,
Still wird die Sehnsucht wach; 
Das trunkne Herz vergeht 
In wundersüßem Ach!  

Wie löst sich äthermild 
Der Erde schweres Band, 
Die heil'ge Träne quillt, 
Ach! nach des Himmels Land.  

Wie mächtig hebt das Herz 
Sich zu den blauen Höhn. 
Was macht vor süßem Schmerz 
Es, ach! so zart vergehn?  

O süßer Hochgenuss! 
Mild, wie des Himmels Tau, 
Winkt Gottes Feiergruß 
Hoch aus dem stillen Blau!  

Und das verwaiste Herz 
Vernimmt den stillen Ruf 
Und sehnt sich heimatwärts 
Zum Vater, der es schuf.

God's breath is stirring!
Longing is quietly waking up;
The drunken heart swoons
In a wonderfully sweet groan!

Gently as ether, how it escapes
From the heavy ties of earth,
The sacred tears swell up,
Oh, longing for the land of heaven.

How powerfully the heart rises
Up towards the blue heights!
But why does this sweet pain make it
Swoon so tenderly, oh why? -

Oh sweet lofty delight!
Gently, like heavenly dew,
God's welcome gesture calls out
From high in the quiet blue!

And the orphaned heart
Responds to the quiet call,
And feels a longing in the direction of home,
Towards the father who created it!

Silbert, Himmelsfunken	D 651

☙

Descendant of: 

WATER   Inanimate nature  


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