EIS-LEBENS-LIED; Carla van de Heijden pointed to me that the title should be MUT

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (from 'Faust' and 'the young Werther'). His whole life (1749-1832), Goethe was lyrical about skating, from the moment he learned it from his friend, teacher and poet-as-well: Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock. Skating became very popular in late 18th-century Germany, especially influenced by the new 'Sturm und Drang' (Storm and Urge?)-artists. Nature, speed, power, fear, rebel, romance: skating contained all aspects important to this new artist-generation. In his autobiography 'Dichtung und Wahrheit' (Fiction and Truth) Goethe describes his dedication to skating.
Goethe skating
Goethe skating etched by J.L Raab
In translation Goethe writes: (sorry for mistakes: German to English is rather difficult for me...) 'The exertion of skating is of higher value than Klopstock told me. She brings us back to the years of our youth, it urges a young man on a complete dedication and joy of his suppleness and works perfect to obstruct the rise of old age. But we were not able to restrain ourselves in this delight. Just a wonderful Sunday on the ice wasn't enough for us. We continued our moves until midnight. Other exertions tire the body, but skating refreshes it.
Full moon, rising behind the clouds above the nighty, stretched icefields, the nightwind in our faces, the threatening of the cracking-ice because of the sinking water underneath the ice, the singular sound of our own moves, it all showed enchanting Ossianic scenes to us. While skating, we all decimated Klopstocks odes to this noble art.'
About Klopstock and the skates to use: 'Klopstock hardly ever spoke about poetry or literature. But because he gave us the enthusiasm for skating, he spoke ample about this noble art which he thoroughly thought-out. Klopstoch didn't want to use the old-fashioned hollow-polished skates, no, he recommended the low, straight-polished Frisian-skates as the best types to use for speed skating. He wasn't a friend of the 'tour de forces' the bourgeois was used to skate on their figure-skates. Thus, according to his wish, I bought myself a pair of these straight skates with long noses, and did use these for many years with great joy, in spite of some minor inconvenience.'

MUT

Sorglos über die Fläche weg


Wo vom kühnsten Wager die Bahn


Dir nicht vorgegraben du siehst


Mache dir selber Bahn!



Stille Liebchen! mein Herz,


Kracht's gleich, bricht's doch nicht;


Bricht's gleich, bricht's nicht mit dir.




Courage

Careless across the plain
Careless over the plain
When cheerful over the level way
Where the boldest dare-devils the track
where you see the track not prepared in front
You see trackless ice in your course
Not prepared for you, you see
of you by the boldest daredevil
Untried by stoutest brave-heart
Make your own track!
Make way to yourself.
Make yourself your course!

Be calm my love, my sweetheart
Quiet my love! my Heart,
Calm love, my heart,
If it cracks immediately, it won't break
Would it crack now, yet it won't break;
Cracking immediately, won't break
If it breaks immediately, it won't break with you
Would it break now, it won't break with you.
Breaking immediately, won't break with you

Input material by: Marnix Koolhaas
Etch found: on page Oulun Tarmo (FIN) Added: 14 July 2001
Translation: Marnix Koolhaas, Lars E. Finsen Irene Postma and Caroline van Staaveren

Last changes on this page 14 July 2001
Back to index page
home
Click Here!