# Sie schlummern in der Zukunft Schattengängen... (Lenau)



## Löwenfrau

I'm having some trouble with the two last verses:
_
Die Stunden, die mit frohen Wandersängen
Das Mädchen einst durchs Erdental geleiten,
Sie schlummern in der Zukunft Schattengängen
Bei ihrer Bürde noch von Seligkeiten;_

I think 'Sie' refers to 'die Stunden', but what does it mean that they "schlummern Schattengängen"? I thought 'schlummern' was an intransitive verb meaning 'to sleep'.
In the last verse, whose 'Bürde'? The hours' again? This whole phrase "Bei ihrer Bürde noch von Seligkeiten" sounds confusing to my ears. Maybe the solution is obvious, but I can't see it sofar.


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## bearded

Hi
You seem to misinterpret "in der Zukunft Schattengängen": it is a poetic construction/word order for "in den Schattengängen der Zukunft" (wie bei ''in des Hauses Räumen''). So the verb is really intransitive. ''Schattengänge*n*'' is clearly in dative case.
And I interpret the last phrase as "und bringen/tragen noch (eine Last/Menge = Bürde von) Seligkeiten". I think that 'ihrer' refers to Stunden.


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## Schlabberlatz

The "bei" in the last line is hard to interpret. Perhaps it’s a simple "bei" – spatial. But it could also be meant causally. Compare: "*Bei* deinem Leichtsinn brauchst du dich nicht zu wundern, wenn du dich verletzt."


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## bearded

The most plausible interpretation - in my view - is as follows: _Bei ihrer Bürde noch von Seligkeiten = wobei sie noch Seligkeiten mitbringen (Bürde = Menge).  _But it might also mean:  _sie schlummern,.....und dabei bringen sie (doch) noch Seligkeiten mit. _It's up to the final translator (poor LF) to make a choice between the alternatives, as the poetic text is somewhat ambiguous.


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## Löwenfrau

bearded man said:


> "und bringen/tragen noch (eine Last/Menge = Bürde von) Seligkeiten"


I wouldn't imagine, because I didn't find this meaning of 'Bürde', I've only found 'burden'. Anyways, I read 'Bürde' as something unpleasant, so I don't know how can it be associated with 'Seligkeiten'...


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## bearded

Löwenfrau said:


> I read 'Bürde' as something unpleasant, so I don't know how can it be associated with 'Seligkeiten'...


According to most dictionaries, Bürde just means ''heavy load'', _Last_ - not necessarily unpleasant.


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## Löwenfrau

bearded man said:


> According to most dictionaries, Bürde just means ''heavy load'', _Last_ - not necessarily unpleasant.



Also "voll Seligkeiten"?


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## bearded

Yes, maybe ''still with a/their load of beatitudes''... (my interpretation). It's strange that we don't hear other (German) voices, though.


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## Löwenfrau

bearded man said:


> It's strange that we don't hear other (German) voices, though



Maybe that's a tough one even for natives...

Thanks.


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## Schlabberlatz

"Seligkeiten" are good, but if you have lots and lots of them, they become a very heavy load. This load makes the "Stunden" weary / sleepy, which can be unpleasant, hence the load can be seen as a burden. It’s really difficult, and this is just my personal interpretation (cf. #3, "bei" --> causal), which may be correct or not.


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## manfy

Ich stimme Schlabberlatz zu.
Ich habe gerade das ganze Gedicht gelesen; erster Eindruck: sehr kryptisch!

Meine Gedanken:
*) 'einst' hat nicht die moderne Bedeutung mit Ausdruck von Vergangenheit, sondern drückt 'einmal' aus (da das ganze Gedicht in hypothetischer Zukunft gehalten ist)
*) 'Seligkeit' hat hier die außerreligiöse Bedeutung von Glück, bzw. das Glücklichsein
*) mir scheint, 'bei' = 'wegen' in der OP

*) 2 Zeilen weiter heißt es: "Die eine aber von den Schläferinnen wird locken sie ..." => dies läßt nicht mehr wirklich auf die Referenz "schlummernde Stunden" schließen sondern....??? .... sehr kryptisch, sehr sehr kryptisch!!


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## Kajjo

_Die Stunden, die mit frohen Wandersängen
Das Mädchen einst durchs Erdental geleiten,
Sie schlummern in der Zukunft Schattengängen
Bei ihrer Bürde noch von Seligkeiten._

Ja, die Zeilen sind sehr kryptisch. Ich verstehe diesen Ausschnitt des Gedichts folgendermaßen auf die Zukunft gerichtet:

Die fröhlichen Stunden, die in der Zukunft mal kommen werden und dann ("einst") das Mädchen begleiten werden, warten ("schlummern") noch in der Zukunft und tragen all das Glück ("Seligkeiten") als Vorrat ("Bürde") in sich.

_Die Stunden, die mit frohen Wandersängen
das Mädchen auf der Welt begleiten werden,
sie schlummern noch in der Zukunft
mit all ihrem Vorrat an Glück._


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## Löwenfrau

manfy said:


> *) 'einst' hat nicht die moderne Bedeutung mit Ausdruck von Vergangenheit, sondern drückt 'einmal' aus (da das ganze Gedicht in hypothetischer Zukunft gehalten ist)





Kajjo said:


> Die fröhlichen Stunden, die in der Zukunft mal kommen werden und dann ("einst") das Mädchen begleiten werden



Couldn't it be that only the two first verses are in the past? I mean, in the past the hours were singing merriely with the girl, who was awake, and these hours, which once (einst) sang merriely, in the future will be sleeping carrying the past happiness...? Considering that he is talking about _Sehnsucht_, I recall that this _Gefühl _is pretty much associated with past + future, remembrance + presentiment (Erinnerung + Ahnung). I think it would make sense, wouldn't it? He could be talking about an old happiness which will be asleep in the future.

But I also understand that at his time it was still common to use 'einst' for a future event:

"Vergiß mein nicht, wenn lockre kühle Erde
Dies Herz einst deckt, das zärtlich für dich schlug."
(Novalis)


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## Kajjo

Please note the two preceding lines:

_Es flüstert mir mein Herz die trübe Mahnung:
Noch ist sie nicht geboren dieser Erde!_

So the girl has not yet been born, is not yet on the earth. Thus, "einst durch das Erdental geleiten" is future, too. At least I think so. The following lines even contain future conjugation "...wird...".


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## Demiurg

Kajjo said:


> So the girl has not yet been born, is not yet on the earth. Thus, "einst durch das Erdental geleiten" is future, too. At least I think so.


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## Löwenfrau

Kajjo said:


> Please note the two preceding lines:
> 
> _Es flüstert mir mein Herz die trübe Mahnung:
> Noch ist sie nicht geboren dieser Erde!_
> 
> So the girl has not yet been born, is not yet on the earth. Thus, "einst durch das Erdental geleiten" is future, too. At least I think so. The following lines even contain future conjugation "...wird...".



I was thinking about it. But in this case what is the function of "noch"? I was reading it as "they sang merriely in the past; in the future they are _still_ full of happiness". Except for that I see your point, Kajjo; would you mind explaining what does "noch" mean in the case everything is happening at the same time in the future?


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## Demiurg

"Noch" means _yet_, as Kajjo has explained:

_Noch ist sie nicht geboren dieser Erde! - She hasn't been born yet to this earth!_

"Sie" refers to the girl.


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## Kajjo

Löwenfrau said:


> would you mind explaining what does "noch" mean in the case everything is happening at the same time in the future?


The speaker narrates in the presence, even if the actions will happen in the future:
_
She is not born yet_. (_She will be born in the future.)
Sie ist noch nicht geboren._


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## Löwenfrau

Kajjo said:


> The speaker narrates in the presence, even if the actions will happen in the future:
> _
> She is not born yet_. (_She will be born in the future.)
> Sie ist noch nicht geboren._



Yes, this 'noch' I understand, but in:

_Sie schlummern in der Zukunft Schattengängen
Bei ihrer Bürde noch von Seligkeiten_

the use of 'noch' is different from your example, or it isn't?


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## manfy

Going out on a limb here, I'd say you _can_ read
_Sie schlummern in der Zukunft Schattengängen bei ihrer Bürde noch von Seligkeiten._
as
_Sie schlummern noch in den Schattengängen der Zukunft bei ihrer Bürde von Seligkeiten [die sie bringen werden/sollen]. _

Such postposition is quite common in poetic speech like "_Sie schlummern in den Schattengängen noch_".
The poet couldn't choose the normal unambiguous word order, because it would have destroyed the beat/rhythm of the poem.
The splitting of the noun phrase "_ihrer Bürde von Seligkeiten_" may seem ungrammatical (and in this particular case confusing), but I've seen this many times in other poetry

In this reading, 'noch' has a similar function to the previous one -> "(As yet,) they slumber still in future's (gloomy) path, burdened by their bliss to bring" ...or something like that...flowery, flowery


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## bearded

manfy said:


> Sie schlummern noch in den Schattengängen


I had not thought of this possible reading.
My understanding was _Bürde noch von Seligkeiten = Bürde von neuen/weiteren Seligkeiten, _e.g. besides those _Seligkeiten, _which 'einst' were already there... But your reading is probably correct, and the more so, as _geleiten _is present, not past.


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## Kajjo

bearded man said:


> I had not thought of this possible reading.


I translated it #12 already in this sense.


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## bearded

Kajjo said:


> I translated it #12 already in this sense.


That's correct, I'm sorry. I just wished to justify my initial interpretation.

 Maybe 'einst' can be rendered by 'one day/eines Tages' (in the future).


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## manfy

bearded man said:


> Maybe 'einst' can be rendered by 'one day/eines Tages' (in the future).




I'm now almost certain that my assumption and justification in #20 is correct. I tried several other positions for 'noch', but each and every other word order either destroys the rhythm or the rhyme with the other lines or it makes the sentence even less comprehensible.

------------------
PS: Wouldn't you know it! As soon as you say things like 'I'm certain', doubts come creeping in...

My reading above is still possible and I stand by it, but there's another plausible possibility:
"They slumber in future's gloomy path, still burdened by their bliss to bring"

This is based on the fact that the next line talks about spreading that bliss light-handed and awake to all  who they (the currently sleeping hours) wish to give this magic gift to.
And further down the poem leads from "stillem Sinnen" to sadness.
As such it's a change from overloaded bliss, which almost appears as a burden, to the opposite, a heartfelt sorrow.

I can't be sure if that was Lenau's intent, but it seems possible and plausible.


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## Kajjo

bearded man said:


> Maybe 'einst' can be rendered by 'one day/eines Tages' (in the future).


 Yes, that correct. "Eines Tages" and "einst" are very close in meaning here.


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