Three Short Poems
by Heinrich Heine
translated from German by Josh Olson
1
I laugh at every doltish jackanapes
Whose drooling, goat-like visage leers at me;
I laugh at every fox who sneeringly
Approaches, sniffs me up and down, and gapes;
I laugh at all the bloated, learned apes
Who judge great minds with such pomposity;
I laugh at rogues who in their treachery
Wield poisoned blades when they get into scrapes:
For when the seven gifts that Fortune scatters
Are taken in Fate’s hands, obliterated,
And thrown back at our feet in wretched tatters;
And when it seems our heart is torn in half,
Cut into pieces, stabbed, and lacerated,
We still can raise a splendid, piercing laugh.
2
Nursing a heart where frigid thoughts reside,
I travel grimly through a frigid world;
October fades—its mists, like ghosts, lie swirled
About the damp and deadened countryside.
Throughout the land one hears the wind complaining,
The red leaves flutter to the woodland floor,
The forest sighs, steam rises from the moor,
And here the worst part comes: it’s raining.
3
The maiden stood beside the sea,
And sighing filled her breast;
It moved her heart with pain to see
The sunset in the west.
My girl, it’s all an old routine!
Cheer up, for I’d remind you:
The sun that’s exiting the scene
Will soon return behind you!
Original German
1
Ich lache ob den abgeschmackten Laffen,
Die mich anglotzen mit den Bocksgesichtern;
Ich lache ob den Füchsen, die so nüchtern
Und hämisch mich beschüffeln und begaffen.
Ich lache ob den hochgelahrten Affen,
Die sich aufblähn zu stolzen Geistesrichtern;
Ich lache ob den feigen Bösewichtern,
Die mich bedrohn mit giftgetränkten Waffen.
Denn wenn des Glückes hübsche Siebensachen
Uns von des Schicksals Händen sind zerbrochen,
Und so zu unsern Füßen hingeschmissen;
Und wenn das Herz im Leibe ist zerrissen,
Zerrissen, und zerschnitten, und zerstochen—
Dann bleibt uns doch das schöne gelle Lachen.
2
Verdroß’nen Sinn im kalten Herzen hegend,
Reis’ ich verdrießlich durch die kalte Welt,
Zu Ende geht der Herbst, ein Nebel hält
Feuchteingehüllt die abgestorbne Gegend.
Die Winde pfeifen, hin und her bewegend
Das rote Laub, das von den Bäumen fällt,
Es seufzt der Wald, es dampft das kahle Feld,
Nun kommt das Schlimmste noch, es regen’t.
3
Das Fräulein stand am Meere
Und seufzte lang und bang,
Es rührte sie so sehre
Der Sonnenuntergang.
Mein Fräulein! sein Sie munter,
Das ist ein altes Stück;
Hier vorne geht sie unter
Und kehrt von hinten zurück.
Josh Olson resides in North Carolina.
Marvelous feat of translation from German even keeping the original rhyme scheme. Besides that, they were fun to read, especially the third one.
Thank you, Roy, for your kind words. I agree that Heine is very fun—very impish, mischievious, witty, and funny.
The sonnet is just full of laughs, though rather sardonic ones. The following shorter pieces are funnier and sweetly funniest. You know how to make a good selection for presentation, Josh, which is one of the challenges of translating.
Thank you, Margaret, for your kind remarks. Because Heine’s poems tend to be short, like little poetic hors d’oeuvres, they often are best experienced not one by one but together in a collection. Though three such little bites together doesn’t quite give a rich impression, hopefully it at least gives a little taste.
I love the bluntness of the humorous twist at the end of each poem. The completions are subtle and satisfying.
Thanks for the reads, Josh.
Thank you, Paul.
Josh,
Years and years and many years ago when I was very much younger than I am now, there was a joke making the rounds about the three shortest books ever written. One I will not repeat, but the other two were, “The complete Guide to English Gourmet Cooking” and “A Treasury of German Humor.”
Your delightful translation suggests that the latter of the two books may, in fact, be longer than the joke itself suggested! Either way, thanks for the smiles.
As for the first book mentioned, I’ll leave it to James Sale or any other SCP Brits to offer any defense of their Mother/Fatherland’s culinary esteem—if, indeed, there is any defense to be offered.