On the water – rowing and sailing

Gillray, British tars towing the Danish fleet into harbour, 1807
Gillray, British tars towing the Danish fleet into harbour, 1807
Friedlich lieg ich hingegossen,
Lenke hin und her das Ruder,
Atme kühl im Licht des Mondes,
Träume süß im stillen Mute;
Gleiten lass ich auch den Kahn,
Schaue in die blanken Fluten,
Wo die Sterne lieblich schimmern,
Spiele wieder mit dem Ruder.

I am reclining peacefully
As I guide the rudder back and forth,
I am breathing the cool air in the moonlight,
Dreaming sweetly, in an untroubled mood;
I also let the boat glide along,
I look into the shining waters
Where the stars are glistening lovingly
And I play with the rudder again.

Friedrich von Schlegel, Der Schiffer	D 694

Conditions are rarely so favourable. Schlegel’s sailor allows the water and air currents to do their work with only minimal intervention to maintain the right course. Usually, though, there is more involved in taking control of the vessel, whether it be a rowing boat, a sailing ship, our own individual life or that of a wider community. It is worth remembering that the word ‘government’ ultimately derives from the idea of steering a ship (Greek κυβερνάω, ‘I steer’; Latin, gubernaculum, ‘a rudder’, gubernare, ‘to steer, to direct, to rule’). Since we human beings are all in the same boat, we usually feel the need to take control at some point so that we do not crash or sink.

In some of the Schubert song texts the poet willingly accepts the challenge:

Dass noch einmal Wunsch und Wagen,
Zorn und Liebe, Wohl und Weh
Ihre Wellen um mich schlagen
Auf des Lebens wilder See,
Und ich kühn im tapfern Streite
Mit dem Strom, der mich entrafft,
Selber meinen Nachen leite,
Freudig in geprüfter Kraft.

Let them come again - desire and daring,
Rage and love, ecstasy and misery -
Let their waves beat around me
On the savage sea of life;
And I shall be bold in the courageous struggle
With the stream that is engulfing me,
I shall guide my boat myself
Joyfully using my well-tested strength.

Schulze, Lebensmut	 D 883


Einen Nachen seh ich schwanken,
     Aber ach! der Fährmann fehlt.
Frisch hinein und ohne Wanken,
     Seine Segel sind beseelt.
Du musst glauben, du musst wagen,
     Denn die Götter leihn kein Pfand,
Nur ein Wunder kann dich tragen
     In das schöne Wunderland.

I can see a boat rocking.
But oh! There is no ferry man.
Get in quick, don’t delay.
Its sails are hoisted.
You have to believe, you have to dare,
For the gods do not offer any security.
Only a miracle can convey you
To that beautiful land of wonders.

Schiller, Sehnsucht	D 52, D 636

Im Winde, im Sturme befahr ich den Fluss, 
Die Kleider durchweichet der Regen im Guss. 
Ich peitsche die Wellen mit mächtigem Schlag 
Erhoffend, erhoffend mir heiteren Tag.  

Die Wellen, sie jagen das ächzende Schiff, 
Es drohet der Strudel, es drohet der Riff, 
Gesteine entkollern den felsigen Höhn, 
Und Tannen erseufzen wie Geistergestöhn.  

So musste es kommen, ich hab es gewollt, 
Ich hasse ein Leben behaglich entrollt,
Und schlängen die Wellen den ächzenden Kahn, 
Ich priese doch immer die eigene Bahn.  

Drum tose des Wassers ohnmächtiger Zorn, 
Dem Herzen entquillet ein seliger Born, 
Die Nerven erfrischend, o himmliche Lust! 
Dem Sturme zu trotzen mit männlicher Brust.

In the wind and in storms I travel on the river,
My clothes get soaked through as the rain pours down;
I beat the waves with powerful strokes
Hoping, hoping that I will experience a calmer day.

The waves drive the creaking ship,
The whirlpool threatens, the reef threatens,
Rocks tumble down from the towering cliffs
And fir trees sigh with a ghostly moan.

It had to come to this - it is what I wanted;
I hate a life that unfurls too comfortably;
And if the waves were to swallow this creaking boat
I would still always sing the praises of my own course.

Therefore let the water's powerless rage continue to roar,
Happiness is welling up and pouring from my heart,
Refreshing the nerves - oh heavenly delight!
Defying the storm with a human breast.

Mayrhofer, Der Schiffer	D 536

Schubert also set texts that are less defiant and hopeful, though. We are all at risk of being becalmed or shipwrecked.

Tiefe Stille herrscht im Wasser,
Ohne Regung ruht das Meer,
Und bekümmert sieht der Schiffer
Glatte Fläche rings umher.
Keine Luft von keiner Seite!
Todesstille fürchterlich!
In der ungeheuren Weite
Reget keine Welle sich.

A deep calm holds sway in the water,
The sea is at rest, motionless,
And the sailor looks out anxiously and sees
A flat expanse all around.
No air from any direction!
A terrible, deathly silence!
In the monstrous breadth
Not a single wave stirs.

Goethe, Meeres Stille		D 215A, D 216

Auf der Wellen Spiegel 
Schwimmt der Kahn. 
Alte Burgen ragen 
Himmelan; 
Tannenwälder rauschen 
Geistergleich - 
Und das Herz im Busen 
Wird uns weich.  

Denn der Menschen Werke 
Sinken all'; 
Wo ist Turm, wo Pforte, 
Wo der Wall, 
Wo sie selbst, die Starken,
Erzgeschirmt, 
Die in Krieg und Jagden 
Hingestürmt? 

Trauriges Gestrüppe 
Wuchert fort, 
Während frommer Sage 
Kraft verdorrt. 
Und im kleinen Kahne 
Wird uns bang - 
Wellen drohn, wie Zeiten, 
Untergang.


On the mirror of waves
Swims the boat.
Old castles reach up
Towards the sky;
Forests of fir trees rustle
Like ghosts - 
And the hearts in our breasts
Become soft.

For the things produced by humans
All sink;
Where is the tower, where the gate, 
Where the rampart,
Where are they themselves, those strong men?
Those who were protected by armour
And went to war and went hunting,
Going on the attack.

Sad undergrowth
Is growing rampant,
Whilst pious legends'
Power withers away.
And in this small boat
We become anxious - 
Both the waves and time threaten us with
Ruin.

Mayrhofer, Auf der Donau	D 553

☙

Descendant of: 

WATER   MOVEMENT  


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