Though we know him today as a composer and conductor, Gustav Mahler had something of an early third calling: poetry. Poetry, he felt, was the only art that could approach the expressive power of music. Mahler's early poetry reflects the impassioned exuberance, the wit, and the high philosophical themes that Mahler listeners will surely recognize as characteristics of his music.
							I have tried to stay as close as possible to the original German wording (often leaning on the prose translations in the "old" first English volume of Henry-Louis de La Grange's biography). In addition, I have chosen English words and constructions that may seem (indeed they are) a bit archaic and quaint. I have done this to preserve the sense of historical lineage that these poems represent. They are, in essence and in general (there are some exceptions), traditional poems in form, style, and language, and I want this to come across to readers. Occasionally, I have deviated from the meter employed by Mahler: the reason for this being that I felt the English worked better that way.
		Finally, I'll be the first to admit my German is academic, not fluent; therefore, I welcome and encourage suggested rewordings. I hope you will find that my enthusiasm for Mahler and the effort I put into these translations will compensate for my reliance on the dictionary and on previous translations. Last of all, many thanks to Jeffrey Hoeper and David Pickett for their helpful suggestions and advice. Please feel free to drop me a line to let me know what you think of these poems: jhoeper@alumni.indiana.edu.
			Thanks, and enjoy!
				Mahler's Poetry: English-Only Version Mahler's Poetry: Bilingual Version Jean Paul's Siebenkaes (trans. Edward Henry Noel) "A Literary Link between Mahler's Early Poetry and Symphony No. 2" by Jan Hoeper (Naturlaut, March 2003) Return to Writings Return Home