Composer: Franz Peter Schubert
Poet: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Questions like "What is Suleika?"
or "What does Suleika mean?" might
comes into mind. Suleika is a poem which is taken from
Goethe's collection ' Book of Suleika'. It is intersting
to found that Goethes has interest in the East, Persia
and Muslim. It is not hard to believe that Goethe writes
about one character that is related to one of the follower of Muslim
--Joseph.
Suleika might come from the name of
a wife of the King during the time of Joseph, whom she
admires for his charming appearance. While Goethe was
working on the poem, he gets very close to Marianne von Willemer.
It inspires him to wrote the affection from Marianne just as
how Suleika admires Joseph.
In Schubert setting, it started off with few
chromatic acsendings semiquavers,
as if the rolling of the wind or a motion and hence the first line goes-
wondering what does the motions means.
This lied is in a modified-strophic form
rather than through composed,as
there are repitions of the same tune at the
begining and the end with different verses.
Albeit there are changes of mode in between stanzas,
first and third in minor,
second and fourth in major, the overall idea are
all about sceneries, the wind
playing with the dust up to the clouds, resulting
the swaying of leaves, and cooling
the earth and hot cheeks.
In each stanza, the melody interchanges with
agitated and stillness although the
piano accompanient are still the same, rolling
of broken chords in semiquaver. The vocal
line goes smooth and still in longer value in the
middle of the songs, where she heard the wishper
of wind who carries the greetings from friends,
as though she is receiving the thousand
of kisses.
Music changes into totally different pace after
a long passage and a climax when
she finally found her beloved. The longing of
love is shown by the dominant pedal
point and chromatic chords, moving away
from tonic, as though the love is eternal. It shows
continuity, not until the last chord at the end,
depicting the satisfaction and contentment
of the love sweet breath that could only be
learnt by the mouth of his beloved.
Was bedeutet die Bewegung?
what means the movement
Bringt der Ost mir frohe Kunde?
bring the east me merry news
Seiner Schwingen frische Regung
his swing fresh movement
Kühlt des Herzens tiefe Wunde.
cools of heart depth wound
Kosend spielt er mit dem Staube,
carresingly plays her with the dust
Jagt ihn auf in leichten Wölkchen,
chase it on in light clouds
Treibt zur sichern Rebenlaube
drives to secure vine leaves
Der Insekten frohes Völkchen.
the insect merry folk
Lindert sanft der Sonne Glühen,
ease gently the sun glow
Kühlt auch mir die heißen Wangen,
cool also me the hot cheeks
Küßt die Reben noch im Fliehen,
Kiss the vine more in escape
Die auf Feld und Hügel prangen.
the of field and hills resplendent
Und mir bringt sein leises Flüstern
and me bring them faint whisper
Von dem Freunde tausend Grüße;
from the friend thousand greets
Eh' noch diese Hügel düstern,
eh more this hills gloomy
Grüßen mich wohl tausend Küsse.
Greets my probably thousand kiss
Und so kannst du weiter ziehen!
and so can you further move
Diene Freunden und Betrübten.
the friend and afflicted
Dort wo hohe Mauern glühen,
there where high build glow
Dort find' ich bald den Vielgeliebten.
there find me soon the belove
Ach, die wahre Herzenskunde,
Ah the true heart
Liebeshauch, erfrischtes Leben
Love breath refreshing life
Wird mir nur aus seinem Munde,
is me only from his mouth
Kann mir nur sein Athem geben.
can me only his breath give
(English translation by Richard Morris)
What does the motion mean?
Does the East wind bring glad tidings?
The refreshing movement of its wings
Chills the heart's deep wound.
It plays gently with the dust,
Chasing it into light clouds.
And drives the happy insect people
to the security of the vine-leaves.
It softly tempers the sun's incandescence,
and chills my hot cheeks,
As it flees it kisses the vines
which are prominent on the fields and hills
And its soft whispering brings me
A thousand greetings from my friend
Before these hills dim,
I will be greeted by a thousand kisses.
So as you go on your way
And serve friends and the saddened.
There where high walls glow,
I shall soon find my dearly beloved.
Oh, the true message of his heart,
Loves-breath, refreshing life
Comes only from his mouth,
Can be given to me only by his breath.
Resplendant -
having a very bright or splendid appearance
Glow-
to produce a continuous light and sometimes heat
Afflicted-
If a problem or illness afflicts a person or thing, they suffer from it
Vine-
any type of plant which climbs or grows along the ground and
which has woody twisting stems
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SULEIKA.
WHAT is by this stir reveal'd?
Doth the East glad tidings bring?
For my heart's deep wounds are heal'd
By his mild and cooling wing.
He the dust with sports doth meet,
And in gentle cloudlets chase;
To the vineleaf's safe retreat
Drives the insects' happy race,
Cools these burning cheeks of mine,
Checks the sun's fierce glow Adam,
Kisses, as he flies, the vine,
Flaunting over hill and plain.
And his whispers soft convey
Thousand greetings from my friend;
Ere these hills own night's dark sway,
Kisses greet me, without end.
Thus canst thou still onward go,
Serving friend and mourner too!
There, where lofty ramparts glow,
Soon the loved one shall I view.
Ah, what makes the heart's truth known,--
Love's sweet breath,--a newborn life,--
Learn I from his mouth alone,
In his breath alone is rife!
1815.
Reference:
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/goethe
http://www.opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=446:miah-persson-the-wigmore-hall-16th-february-2011&catid=10&Itemid=16
