Abschied (Leb wohl, du schöne Erde), D 829

Farewell

(Poet's title: Abschied)

All translations into English that appear on this website, unless otherwise stated, are by Malcolm Wren. You are free to use them on condition that you acknowledge Malcolm Wren as the translator and schubertsong.uk as the source. Unless otherwise stated, the comments and essays that appear after the texts and translations are by Malcolm Wren and are © Copyright.

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This is Mechthild’s song, performed for her father-in-law, Hugo, on his deathbed, in the final scene of the play ‘Der Falke’, which was written for a private performance on February 17th, 1826. It seems to encapsulate many of our assumptions about what it is to experience a ‘good death’. When a group of specialists in palliative medicine reviewed the academic literature on this topic, they found that there was a great variety of views, but “[c]ore elements for a ‘good death’ included control of pain and symptoms, clear decision-making, feeling of closure, being seen and perceived as a person, preparation for death, and being still able to give something to others.”[1] This ‘farewell’ therefore anticipates what most of us would want for our own death: a determination to prepare ourselves and those around us for what is to come, a willing acceptance of the inevitable, an ability to cope with and overcome the pain and agony involved in the process of dying, awareness that we are still being treated with all the dignity due to a human being and, above all, a concern for the welfare of others. We want them to fare well.

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[1] A. Krikorian, C. Maldonado, T. Pastrana, “Patient’s Perspectives on the Notion of a Good Death: A Systematic Review of the Literature” in Journal of Pain Symptom Management August 2019  

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J Pain Symptom Manage. 2019 Aug 9. pii: S0885-3924(19)30451-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.07.033. [Epub ahead of print]

Patient's Perspectives on the Notion of a Good Death: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Krikorian A (1), Maldonado C (2), Pastrana T (3).
  
Author information
1
Group of Pain and Palliative Care, School of Health Sciences, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia. 
2
Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.
3
Department of Palliative Medicine, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.

Abstract

CONTEXT: 
There is no clear definition of what constitutes a good death or its features. Patients, caregivers, physicians, and relatives have different notions of a good death. Discussions have been driven by academic perspectives, with little research available on the patients' perspectives.


OBJECTIVES: 
To explore the notions of a good death from the patients' perspective.

METHODS: 
A systematic literature search was conducted up to November 2017 using CINAHL®, MEDLINE®, EMBASE®, and PsycINFO® databases. Search terms used were "quality of death," "good death," "quality of dying," or "good dying." Scientific empirical studies that included the exploration of the notion of a good death in adult patients with advanced and life-threatening diseases were selected separately by two researchers. Hawker's et al. criteria were used to assess the quality of articles. The analysis was conducted using a thematic analysis.

RESULTS: 
Two thousand six hundred and fifty two titles were identified; after elimination of duplicates, screening, and final selection, 29 relevant publications remained for analysis. Sample populations included patients with terminal diseases (AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and cancer). Core elements for a "good death" included control of pain and symptoms, clear decision-making, feeling of closure, being seen and perceived as a person, preparation for death, and being still able to give something to others; whereas other factors such as culture, financial issues, religion, disease, age, and life circumstances were found to shape the concept across groups. Studies agree on the individuality of death and dying while revealing a diverse set of preferences, regarding not only particular attributes but also specific ways in which they contribute to a good death.

CONCLUSIONS: 
Although sharing common core elements, patients' notions of good death are individual, unique, and different. They are dynamic in nature, fluctuating within particular groups and during the actual process of dying. Formal and informal caregivers should carefully follow-up and respect the patient's individual concepts and preferences regarding death and dying, while attending to shared core elements, to better adjust clinical decisions.

Copyright © 2019 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31404643

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Original Spelling

Abschied

Leb' wohl du schöne Erde
Kann dich erst jetzt verstehn,
Wo Freude und wo Kummer
An uns vorüber wehn!

Leb' wohl du Meister Kummer
Dank' dir mit nassem Blick,
Mit mir nehm' ich die Freude
Dich - lass' ich hier zurück.

Sey nur ein milder Lehrer
Führ' alle hin zu Gott,
Zeig' in den trübsten Nächten,
Ein Streiflein Morgenroth!

Lasse sie Liebe ahnen -
So danken sie dir noch, 
Der früher und der später
Sie danken weinend doch!

Dann glänzt das Leben heiter,
Mild lächelt jeder Schmerz
Die Freude hält umfangen
Das ruh'ge klare Herz!

Confirmed with Adolf von Pratobevera’s manuscript Der Falke. Romantisches Spiel […] in einem langen Aufzug. 1825. This manuscript is preserved in the Austrian State Archives.

Note: The poem is Mechthild’s song in the final scene of the play Der Falke, which was performed in Pratobevera’s private circle on Feb. 17, 1826. The play was not published in print. In addition to the manuscript of the play there is a second manuscript of this poem on a separate sheet, dated 1826, which may have been Schubert’s source.