The secret
(Poet's title: Das Geheimnis)
Set by Schubert:
D 250
[August 7, 1815]
D 793
[May 1823]
Sie konnte mir kein Wörtchen sagen,
Zu viele Lauscher waren wach,
Den Blick nur durft’ ich schüchtern fragen,
Und wohl verstand ich, was er sprach:
Leis komm ich her in deine Stille,
Du schön belaubtes Buchenzelt,
Verbirg in deiner grünen Hülle
Die Liebenden dem Aug’ der Welt.
Von Ferne mit verworr’nem Sausen
Arbeitet der geschäft’ge Tag,
Und durch der Stimmen hohles Brausen
Erkenn ich schwerer Hämmer Schlag!
So sauer ringt die kargen Lose
Der Mensch dem harten Himmel ab;
Doch leicht erworben, aus dem Schoße
Der Götter fällt das Glück herab.
Dass ja die Menschen nie es hören,
Wie treue Lieb’ uns still beglückt!
Sie können nur die Freude stören,
Weil Freude nie sie selbst entzückt.
Die Welt wird nie das Glück erlauben,
Als Beute wird es nur gehascht;
Entwenden musst du’s oder rauben,
Eh’ dich die Missgunst überrascht.
Leis auf den ehen kommt’s geschlichen,
Die Stille liebt es und die Nacht;
Mit schnellen Füßen ist’s entwichen,
Wo des Verräters Auge wacht.
O schlinge dich, du sanfte Quelle,
Ein breiter Strom um uns herum,
Und drohend mit empörter Welle
Vertheidige dies Heiligtum.
She could not even say the smallest word to me,
Too many listeners were paying attention;
I could only shyly question her look,
And I clearly understood what that was saying.
I have come here softly into your silence,
You beautifully-leaved tent of beech trees,
In your green covering, hide
The lovers from the eyes of the world!
From afar, with a confused roar,
Busy day is at work,
And within the noises of hollow roaring
I recognise the beating of heavy hammers.
Wrestling their meagre lot is so bitter
For humans taking on the harsh will of heaven;
However, easily won, from the lap
Of the gods, happiness descends on us.
Let us hope that other people will never hear
How secretly happy we are made by devoted love!
They can only disturb the joy
Since they have never been delighted by joy themselves.
The world will never permit happiness,
It will just be hunted as prey,
You will have to steal it or commit robbery,
Before you are overtaken by envy.
It slips in gently on tiptoe,
It loves quietness and the night,
It runs off on quick feet,
Wherever a traitor’s eye is keeping watch.
Oh gentle fountain, throw out
A wide stream around us,
And as you threaten with rising waves,
Defend this sanctuary.
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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Themes and images in this text:
Beech trees Covers and covering Day Eyes Feet Fighting and wrestling Gazes, glimpses and glances Green Hiding Hunters and hunting Joy Lap, womb (Schoß) Leaves and foliage Listening Night and the moon Noise and silence Rivers (Strom) Smiths and metalwork Sounds Springs, sources and fountains Striking and hitting Waves – Welle
There are too many eyes watching, too many ears listening. Or there is just too much noise. The challenge is to communicate meaning within these constraints, to hear (and understand) the beating hearts responding to each other through the noise of beating hammers, to ask and answer unspoken questions with tiny glances and raised eyebrows that will be lost to even the most attentive and inquisitive observers.
The other consistent theme throughout this poem is the surprising vulnerability of the lovers’ shared happiness. When they meet in the beech grove they see it as a camouflaged tent that will protect them from prying eyes. They are convinced that others are envious of their joy and keen to deprive them of it. It will run off at the slightest hint of ‘betrayal’. The text therefore ends with an appeal to the nearby spring or fountain, which is urged to surround the lovers by making a sort of moat. The lovers’ sanctuary will thereby become a sort of castle, which will be made impregnable by raging waters. Such an extreme image (rising waves coming from a ‘gentle’ fountain) underlines the intensity of the experience at the centre of the text, the secret that cannot be allowed to become common knowledge.
Was Schiller conscious of this irony? Those of us with eyes to see and ears to hear are invited to take the part of the lovers rather than the hated observers in this story. We never doubt that we would have been able to detect the meaning of the tiniest gesture or hear the ‘voice’ within the noise of everything around. What stops us being intrusive observers rather than sympathetic participants?
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Original Spelling Das Geheimniß Sie konnte mir kein Wörtchen sagen, Zu viele Lauscher waren wach, Den Blick nur durft ich schüchtern fragen, Und wohl verstand ich, was er sprach. Leis komm' ich her in deine Stille, Du schön belaubtes Buchenzelt, Verbirg in deiner grünen Hülle Die Liebenden dem Aug' der Welt! Von Ferne mit verworrnem Sausen Arbeitet der geschäft'ge Tag, Und durch der Stimmen hohles Brausen Erkenn' ich schwerer Hämmer Schlag. So sauer ringt die kargen Loose Der Mensch dem harten Himmel ab, Doch leicht erworben, aus dem Schooße Der Götter fällt das Glück herab. Daß ja die Menschen nie es hören, Wie treue Lieb' uns still beglückt! Sie können nur die Freude stöhren, Weil Freude nie sie selbst entzückt. Die Welt wird nie das Glück erlauben, Als Beute wird es nur gehascht, Entwenden mußt du's oder rauben, Eh dich die Mißgunst überrascht. Leis auf den Zähen kommt's geschlichen, Die Stille liebt es und die Nacht, Mit schnellen Füßen ist's entwichen, Wo des Verräthers Auge wacht. O schlinge dich, du sanfte Quelle, Ein breiter Strom um uns herum, Und drohend mit empörter Welle Vertheidige dieß Heiligthum.
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Gedichte von Friederich Schiller, Erster Theil, Leipzig, 1800, bey Siegfried Lebrecht Crusius, pages 15-16; and with Musen-Almanach für das Jahr 1798. herausgegeben von Schiller. Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaischen Buchhandlung, pages 299-300.
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 16 [22 von 292] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ207858202