| "Das Todaustreiben" | |
|---|---|
.png) Des Knaben Wunderhorn (1806, I) with the text of the song | |
| Song | |
| Language | German |
| English title | Driving out Death |
| Published | not later than 1570 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Songwriter(s) | Traditional |
"Das Todaustreiben" (Driving out Death) is an old German song named after a folk custom of Todaustragen [de] from the Middle Ages.
History
The first time the song had been mentioned in the sources is not later than 1570. It was included in volume 1 of Des Knaben Wunderhorn (DKW), an 1806 German folklore collection. An older Protestant song underlies the version published by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano.
According to a contributor to DKW, the editors removed any denomational features from their version of the text. The poets left all original verses save the last one which contains a Protestant prayer.
Christian and pagan traditions
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The song is based on an old pagan custom of Driving out Death. This custom has long been traditional in many parts of Germany (such as Silesia, Thuringia, Franconia). Christians considered death to be the Antichrist, who was to be banished, to free the way for the Saviour. This custom of Driving out Death (also known as Driving out Winter) represented the struggle against Winter and the subsequent awakening of Earth in Spring.
Words
So treiben wir den Winter aus,
Durch unsre Stadt zum Tor hinaus,
Mit sein' Betrug und Listen,
Den rechten Antichristen.
Wir stürzen ihn von Berg und Tal,
Damit er sich zu Tode fall',
Und uns nicht mehr betrüge
Durch seine späten Züge.
Und nun der Tod das Feld geräumt,
So weit und breit der Sommer träumt,
Er träumet in dem Maien
Von Blümlein mancherleien.
Die Blume sproßt aus göttlich Wort
Und deutet auf viel schönern Ort,
Wer ist's, der das gelehret?
Gott ist's, der hat's bescheret.
Thus, we drive the winter out,
Through our city and out the gate,
With his deceit and cunning,
The real Antichrist.
We oust him from mountain and valley,
So that he falls to his death,
And may deceive us no more
With his late gusts.
And now Death leaves the field,
So far and wide the Summer dreams,
He dreams in May
Of little flowers of many kinds.
The flower sprouts through the divine word
And points to a much more beautiful place.
Who is it, who orders this?
God it is, who has granted it.
Poetic translation
Drive out Winter with her hate,
Drive out from the town gate,
With all her wiles and twisters,
True Antichrist and trickster.
We hunted her by hill and dale,
To make the robber breathe away:
Thou canst no longer swindle
With all thy frosts and windfalls!
And now Death has left the fields,
And now Summer spreads the wings,
While dreaming of the blossom
In May, still mud and earthen.
By th'word of God, the summer bloom
Could climb a stone in the gloom.
Who has that sprout risen?
The Lord, the Earth to brighten.
Melody
References
- ^ Rieser, Ferdinand (1908). "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" und seine Quellen (in German). Dortmund: Friedrich Wilhelm Ruhfus [de]. p. 125 – via Internet Archive.
- Schem, Alexander Jacob (1874). Deutsch-amerikanisches Conversations-Lexikon: Mit specieller Rücksicht auf das Bedürfniß der in Amerika lebenden Deutschen ... (in German). New York: E. Steiger. p. 356. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- Russell, Peter (2002). The Themes of the German Lied from Mozart to Strauss. Studies in the history and interpretation of music, vol. 84. Edwin Mellen Press. pp. 208, 223. ISBN 978-0-88946-426-1. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- Frazer, James George (2012). The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion. Cambridge Library Collection – Classics. Cambridge University Press. pp. 271–276. ISBN 978-1-108-04752-4. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- Achim von Arnim; Clemens Brentano, eds. (2024) . "Das Todaustreiben / Driving out Death" . Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Translated by Sergey Pavlov – via Wikisource.
External links
- Free scores of "So treiben wir den Winter aus" in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Text and melody, lieder-archiv.de (in German)