Need a word-by-word translation of German into English

[Ladyhawk]

I'm preparing Brahms' "Sapphische Ode" for voice class. I have a poetic translation of the German words, but I really need a word-by-word translation that doesn't worry about things like syntax. That way I know which words I'm singing.

Maybe then I can get a handle on

1. Memorization
2. How to be expressive with this piece

Rosen brach ich nachts mir am dunklen Hage;
Süßer hauchten Duft sie als je am Tage;
Doch verstreuten reich die bewegten Äste
Tau, der mich näßte.

Auch der Küsse Duft mich wie nie berückte,
Die ich nachts vom Strauch deiner Lippen pflückte:
Doch auch dir, bewegt im Gemüt gleich jenen,
Tauten die Tränen.

[Waistdeep]

1. Here's what babelfish says:

Roses I broke at night to me at the dark Hage; More sweetly smell they than ever by day hauchten; But richly the moved branches scattered rope, which naesste me.

Also the kisses smell me like never beru-hit a corner, which I picked at night from the bush of your lips: But also you, moved in the mind equal those, the tears thawed.

[BrotherBuzz]

2. Babelfish is fun...

Try some variations like say English to German to Italian to English. For some real high jinx, try translating assembly instructions for any Asian product into a few languages, then back to English and see if they don't mysteriously make more sense.

[ChoralScholar]

3. Are you a voice major LadyHawk? EOM

[Ladyhawk]

9. No, just a voice enthusiast.

I'm a pretty decent alto soloist.

[ChoralScholar]

4. I can help some here too

hauchten is going to be roughly translated "vapor" or "fog" (Not really an english word for it)

Babelfish will adjust some syntax, so you're best to do one word at a time. i.e. Traenen is going to be the word for tearful or grieving, and you see the Babelfish translation has adjusted the words to force an english syntax.

You gotta admit, though, Brahms never wrote a dog. (quoting an old teacher of mine)

I did a Brahms set on my senior recital... what harmonic genius.

[Bossy Monkey]

5. Well, there's WordGumbo

Free German-English lexicon here: http://www.wordgumbo.com/ie/ger/ger/

[Briarius]

6. Ok, here's my translation

Ok, here's a literal word-for-word translation. There are a couple of words there that I'm guessing on based on the root word, but I think the rest is pretty close. Hope this helps!



Rosen brach ich nachts mir am dunklen Hage;
Roses bring me nightly to the dark Hage
Süßer hauchten Duft sie als je am Tage;
Sweet breathable(I think) smell she as in the daytime
Doch verstreuten reich die bewegten Äste
then scatter richly the swaying boughs
Tau, der mich näßte.
Dew, that makes me cry



Auch der Küsse Duft mich wie nie berückte,
also the kisses smell will never ensnare me
Die ich nachts vom Strauch deiner Lippen pflückte:
Those I nightly from the bush of your lips plucked.
Doch auch dir, bewegt im Gemüt gleich jenen,
though also you, moved in mind the same as those
Tauten die Tränen.
tauten the tears.

[OldEurope]

7. ok, here you are:

Rosen = roses
brach = broke
ich = I
nachts = at night
mir = for me
am = at (the)
dunklen = dark
Hage = hedge

Süßer = sweeter
hauchten= aspirated
Duft = flavor
sie = they
als = then
je = ever
am = at
Tage = Day (daylight)

Doch = But
verstreuten= scattered
reich = rich(ly)
die = the
bewegten= moved (moving?)
Äste = branches

Tau = dew
der = that (which)
mich = me
näßte = wetted.

Auch = Also
der Küsse= of the kisses
Duft = flavor
mich = me
wie = like
nie = never
berückte= enthralled

Die = that
ich = I
nachts = at night
vom = from (the)
Strauch = bush
deiner = of your
Lippen = lips
pflückte= picked

Doch = but
auch = too
dir = (for) you
bewegt = emotional
im = in
Gemüt = mind
gleich = like
jenen = them

Tauten = dewed
die = the
Tränen = tears .

[Ladyhawk]

11. Thank you!

This is exactly what I needed. :yourock:

[Ladyhawk]

12. LOL! Strauch = bush

Can I call him Strauch* from now on?

[markses]

8. Trying to give you the sense of it here

At night I bring roses to myself in my dark corner
Their fragrance breathes more sweetly than during the day
And the branches that move scatter richly the
Dew, that makes me weep.

And the kiss of the fragrance charms me at no other time
But at night, when I pluck it from the lip of the branches;
And you as well, moving like them in the mind
Turning tears into dew.

(Tauten, in this context, means "to dew-en" - we do not have an English equivalent, as far as I know, since thaw is not really right for the connotation.)

The play here is on the distinction between the physical sensation of the roses and the imagined presence of the beloved. So, several double meanings are at work. "Bewegt-" can mean movement, as is often used in a scientific context, but it also means emotion; in this sense, it is not unlike English, where you can say "Move the car, dammit!" or "I was deeply moved by that." Given the Romantic tradition, I think we're pretty clear that the beloved is dead, and that the narrator uses the rose to both relive (her) presence and mourn her. It also may be that the beloved is God. (So, we might think of some of Rilke's early work to see how long this tradition lasts: "Ich finde dich in allen diesen Dingen/ Desen ich gut, und wie ein Bruder bin...etc").

[OldEurope]

10. Sorry, but I can´t agree.

First: It´s "SAPPHO", which means, it´s an Eros, not an Agape thing. I think it´s wrong to associate this with a Christian religious context. And also, I don´t think, the beloved one is dead. IMHOP, the author only wants to express, that the kisses of his beloved are, like the roses, sweeter when given at night.
"The fragrance of the kisses, that I pick from the branches of your lips, also enchant me more at night; and you, emotioned in your mind like them (the roses), have tears like dew " would be a grammatically correct translation of the second verse.