Sunday, September 18, 2005

Die Loreley

This is a German poem I happen to enjoy. I don't care if you don't know what it means, you'll like it too (lest your naughty bits become un-naughty):

Ich weiss nicht, was soll bedeuten,
dass ich so traurig bin;
ein Marchen aus alten Zeiten,
das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.

Die Luft ist kuhl und es dunkelt,
und ruhig fliesst der Rhein;
der Gipfel des Berges funkelt
im Abendsonnenschein.

Die schonste Jungfrau sitzet
dort oben wunderbar,
ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet,
sie kammt ihr goldenes Haar.

Sie kammt es mit goldenem Kamme,
und singt ein Lied dabei;
das hat eine wundersame,
gewaltige Melodei.

Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe
ergreift es mit wildem Weh;
er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,
er schaut nur hinauf in die Hoh.

Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen
am Ende Schiffer und Kahn;
und das hat mit ihrem Singen
die Loreley getan.

3 Comments:

Blogger Jaded Gazelle said...

Just an FYI for the post: There should be several umlauts in there, but I do not possess a German keyboard...sorry for the the words that sound weird with no umlauts (if you know how to pronounce them anyways).

11:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think this is the Poem "The Lorelei" by Heine? Anyways, here's what happens when you use an online translator. Quite amusing, especially the "punt" part:
I do not know, what is to mean that I am so sad; a Marchen from old times, comes me not from the sense. Air is kuhl and it darkens, and calmly the Rhine flows; the summit of the mountain sparkles in the evening sunshine. The schonste virgin sit marvelously there above, their golden Geschmeide flash, it kammt their golden hair. It kammt it with golden Kamme, and sings a song thereby; that has a wondrous, enormous Melodei. The boat operator in small ships seizes it with wild pain; it does not look the rock reefs, it looks only up into the high. I believe, the waves devour at the end boat operator and punt; and that did the Loreley with their singing.

6:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That last comment (the translation) was by Kristin by the way. For some reason my blogger i.d. wasn't working...

6:49 PM  

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