Mark Scrivener Poetry Blog No 101 Gretchen's Room -next scene from Faust

GRETCHEN’S ROOM - At the Spinning Wheel. Next Scene from Faust

Scottish-American soprano Mary Garden (1874-1967) portrayed Goethe's character Gretchen, known as Marguerite in Charles Gounod's opera Faust. Bettmann/CORBIS

        The next scene in Faust is Margaret (Gretchen) sitting at a spinning wheel singing a song that reveals how in love she is with Heinrich (Faust). This text in German is also a famous "art" song (Lied, plural Lieder in German) by Schubert. It can be heard on YouTube - search Gretchen Am Spinnrade.

            Short-lined verse like this with rhyme is difficult to take from one language to another- for instance nimmermehr cannot be anything but nevermore (as Poe's raven would say). yet to do that her heart has to be "sore" for the rhyme, whereas it would be much better if it could be heavy (as in the German). However there is almost no room with such short lines to manoeuvre. 

Classic illustration depicting Gretchen is longing for her lover, drawn by August von Kreling in Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust", published in Munich, 1874

 Margaret (Alone at her Spinning Wheel), 1907 Goethe, Faust, Act I ~ Frank Cadogan Cowper (1877-1958)

GRETCHEN’S ROOM

GRETCHEN (AT THE SPINNING WHEEL ALONE)

Now my calm has gone,

My heart's so sore;

I’ll never find peace now,

No, nevermore.

Where you’re not in sight

Is grave-dark night,

The whole world now

Turns bitter-sour.

And my poor head

Is such a mess.

And my poor mind

Breaks with distress.

Now my calm has gone,

My heart's so sore;

I’ll never find peace now,

No, nevermore.

I watch by window

For him alone;

And but to meet him

Leave my home.

His noble figure,

His high-born stride,

And his smiling lips,

And the power of his eyes,

His voice’s magic

Flow, the bliss

Of his hand’s touch,

And oh! His kiss!

Now my calm has gone,

My heart's so sore;

I’ll never find peace now,

No, nevermore.

My yearning heart

Would flee from here,

Till I could catch him

And hold him near,

And kiss him as

I’d wish that day,

And on his kisses

I’d pass away!