The boatman
(Poet's title: Der Schiffer)
Set by Schubert:
D 536
[probably 1817]
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.
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:
Anger and other strong emotions Boats Chest / breast Clothes Ghosts and spirits Hearts High, low and deep Hope Mountains and cliffs Nerves On the water – rowing and sailing Pine trees Sighs and sighing Ships Rain Rivers (Fluß) Rivers – waterfalls, rapids and whirlpools Springs, sources and fountains Striking and hitting Storms Striving Swaying and swinging Waves – Welle Wet and dry Wind Workers and working songs
Whose voice are we hearing here?
On one level, this text is reminiscent of the genre of ‘working songs’, supposedly revealing the attitude of the speakers to their everyday tasks (Schubert set a number of such songs, e.g. D 038 D 044 Totengräberlied, D 268 Bergknappenied, D 274, Tischlerlied, D 351 D 364 D 562 Fischerlied, D 392 Pflügerlied, D 434 Erntelied). If that is what we are dealing with here, the boatman could be a ferryman or a river-based fisherman, who has no choice but to go out in all weathers and brave the water. This is the lifestyle he has chosen (‘die eigene Bahn’).
Or is the choice more wilful and determined? Are we perhaps dealing with an enthusiast for extreme sports, who is not out on the water as a result of economic necessity but because of an inner drive to take on the elements? If this is the case, we might perhaps envisage him with a paddle rather than a pair of oars, in a sort of canoe or kayak riding down white water rapids (‘Die Wellen, sie jagen das ächzende Schiff’).
It is more likely, though, that we are expected to see through the physical image and focus on the metaphor. In this sense we are all in the same boat. We find ourselves on the river of life, being buffetted by all sorts of storms and foul weather. Some people are happy to go with the flow but others prefer to go against the current and ‘beat the waves’. A number of people (and it may be that Mayrhofer was one of this number) declare that they are happy to take on the elements and are prepared for the ship to sink, but the purpose of making such assertions is not really to describe their character as it is. It is just a way of plucking up courage, of making oneself defy the elements.
It is well-known that Johann Mayrhofer was at odds with the political and intellectual currents around him. As a liberal working in the censorship office of an autocratic government he found himself in an odd position. He was expected not to rock the boat, even if he was convinced that the ship of state was heading in the wrong direction. It is hardly surprising that he frequently fantasised about going down with the wreckage. It is difficult to distinguish between defiance and resignation sometimes.
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Original Spelling and Note on the text Der Schiffer 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 Höh'n, Und Tannen erseufzen wie Geistergestöh'n. 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. The text as set to music is slightly different from the version published by Mayrhofer in 1818 and 1824, as presented below (with changes in bold). It is impossible to know if Schubert made the changes himself or whether he was working from an earlier draft of the poem. Im Winde, im Sturme befahr' ich den Fluß, Die Kleider durchweichet der Regen im Guß; Ich lenke - ich peitsche mit mächtigem Schlag Die Wellen, erhoffend mir heiteren Tag. Die Fluthen, sie jagen das schwankende Schiff, Es drohet der Strudel, es drohet der Riff, Gesteine entkollern den felsigen Höh'n, Und Fichten, sie sausen wie Geistergestöh'n. So mußte es kommen - ich hab' es gewollt, Ich hasse ein Leben behaglich entrollt; Und schlängen die Fluthen den dröhnenden Kahn, Ich priese doch immer die eigene Bahn. Es tose des Wassers ohnmächtiger Zorn, Dem Herzen entquillet ein seliger Born, Die Nerven erfrischend - o himmliche Lust! Dem Sturme zu gebiethen mit männlicher Brust.
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Gedichte von Johann Mayrhofer. Wien. Bey Friedrich Volke. 1824, page 106; and with Beyträge zur Bildung für Jünglinge. Zweites Bändchen. Wien, 1818. In der Franz Härter’schen Buchhandlung, page 325 (here with the title Der Schiffer).
To see an early edition of the text, go to page 106 [118 von 212] here: http://digital.onb.ac.at/OnbViewer/viewer.faces?doc=ABO_%2BZ177450902