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Songs of Love and Grief: A Bilingual Anthology in the Verse Forms of the Originals
A translation of Heinrich Heine's love poems. This bilingual edition includes an introduction by Heine scholar Jeffrey L. Sammons. The author aims to capture the meaning of the original, but preserve the poems' rhyme schemes as well as their moods.
227 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 1995
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About the author
Heinrich Heine
3,135 books424 followersChristian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder (art songs) by composers such as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. Heine's later verse and prose is distinguished by its satirical wit and irony. His radical political views led to many of his works being banned by German authorities. Heine spent the last 25 years of his life as an expatriate in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 11, 2023
The nineteenth century poet, Heinrich Heine, did not find a fan in me with this poetry collection, and I don't particularly recommend it, but he did write one poem that will remain with me:
A single fir stands lonesome
On barren northernly height.
He drowses; frost and snowstorm
Shroud him in swathes of white.
He dreams about a palm—she,
In the orient far, alone,
Sorrowing stands and silent
At a blazing scarp of stone.
In the Notes section, at the back of the book, Jeffrey Sammons writes, “This poem has often been cited as an expression for Heine's longing for his “oriental,” that is, Jewish identity, from which he had become separated. However. . . all attempts to claim Heine for any denomination or party should be regarded with skepticism.”
Perhaps. Maybe. Who knows?
But, may I share with you what this poem signifies to me? (And, feel free to share any revelations of your own).
I think we come to know ourselves, know our own landscape, especially when we've been around for a while. We become “seasoned” adults, travelers who know our own landscapes. Sometimes that landscape feels cold or colorless, sometimes it feels comfortable.
It's interesting; the “single fir” feels “shrouded” and “drowsy,” but he also feels “lonesome” and “barren.”
But, really, what he feels is: familiar.
We can delight in what is familiar. But, from that comfortable place, we may also dream of what more may lie in store for us in our own human potential: journeys, both inward and outward ones.
And, perhaps that's what the palm represents, our own identity, expanded.
Or, perhaps the palm is a completely new entity, outside of us, an exotic new addition to our landscape: a community, a lover, a friend.
Either way, it's so lovely, to me, to think of a fir dreaming of a palm and a palm dreaming of a fir.
Both of them, standing solitary, aware of the potential of the other.
A single fir stands lonesome
On barren northernly height.
He drowses; frost and snowstorm
Shroud him in swathes of white.
He dreams about a palm—she,
In the orient far, alone,
Sorrowing stands and silent
At a blazing scarp of stone.
In the Notes section, at the back of the book, Jeffrey Sammons writes, “This poem has often been cited as an expression for Heine's longing for his “oriental,” that is, Jewish identity, from which he had become separated. However. . . all attempts to claim Heine for any denomination or party should be regarded with skepticism.”
Perhaps. Maybe. Who knows?
But, may I share with you what this poem signifies to me? (And, feel free to share any revelations of your own).
I think we come to know ourselves, know our own landscape, especially when we've been around for a while. We become “seasoned” adults, travelers who know our own landscapes. Sometimes that landscape feels cold or colorless, sometimes it feels comfortable.
It's interesting; the “single fir” feels “shrouded” and “drowsy,” but he also feels “lonesome” and “barren.”
But, really, what he feels is: familiar.
We can delight in what is familiar. But, from that comfortable place, we may also dream of what more may lie in store for us in our own human potential: journeys, both inward and outward ones.
And, perhaps that's what the palm represents, our own identity, expanded.
Or, perhaps the palm is a completely new entity, outside of us, an exotic new addition to our landscape: a community, a lover, a friend.
Either way, it's so lovely, to me, to think of a fir dreaming of a palm and a palm dreaming of a fir.
Both of them, standing solitary, aware of the potential of the other.
August 1, 2018
"Where they burn books, they will, in the end, burn human beings too."
-- Heinrich Heine
With majority of his work being banned by German authorities because of his radial views on politics, little did they know that this young poet was only getting started.
Heine was probably one of the most influential poets in the Romantic movement. Having been born into a Jewish family in Düsseldorf, Heinrich was nothing short of an intelligent man. His parents had other plans for their son, however, Heine did not want to become a businessman-- even though he obtained a law degree-- it did not interest him: “If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found time to conquer the world.”
Most of his literary work and reputation was stronger abroad while he was alive; but now, his legacy is celebrated all over the world - especially in his motherland.
If you enjoy poetry that is comical, with a flare of romance and strong political views, then his work is for you. But honestly, everyone should look him up because I can guarantee that you will find at least ONE poem or quote that will resonate with you.
December 13, 1797 - February 17, 1856
-- Heinrich Heine
With majority of his work being banned by German authorities because of his radial views on politics, little did they know that this young poet was only getting started.
Heine was probably one of the most influential poets in the Romantic movement. Having been born into a Jewish family in Düsseldorf, Heinrich was nothing short of an intelligent man. His parents had other plans for their son, however, Heine did not want to become a businessman-- even though he obtained a law degree-- it did not interest him: “If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found time to conquer the world.”
Most of his literary work and reputation was stronger abroad while he was alive; but now, his legacy is celebrated all over the world - especially in his motherland.
If you enjoy poetry that is comical, with a flare of romance and strong political views, then his work is for you. But honestly, everyone should look him up because I can guarantee that you will find at least ONE poem or quote that will resonate with you.
December 13, 1797 - February 17, 1856
Read
July 26, 2016Favorite poem:
"The letter that you wrote me
Occasions me no grief;
You're out of love, you wrote me,
But you were hardly brief.
Twelve pages, crammed unduly
With calligraphic stuff!
One doesn't write so fully
When one is breaking off."
I enjoyed the Foreword, too.
"The letter that you wrote me
Occasions me no grief;
You're out of love, you wrote me,
But you were hardly brief.
Twelve pages, crammed unduly
With calligraphic stuff!
One doesn't write so fully
When one is breaking off."
I enjoyed the Foreword, too.
June 21, 2013
Great for English-speaking scholars or fans of German poetry and singers who focus on lieder: translations by a Dartmouth professor in the style of the original. Yes, they rhyme...the originals did too. Wonderful book--scholarly, enjoyable, and accessible.
Read
February 27, 2020I'm not a huge fan of poetry but I'm quite inquisitive and try to keep an open mind about things. Recently I've been reading a lot of books about Germany, novels, historical fiction and what could best be described as history. Notably Peter Watson's - The German Genius www.goodreads.com/book/show/8663433-t...
and Neil MacGregor's Germany: Memories of a Nation
www.goodreads.com/book/show/23113270-...
neither of which do I intend to dwell upon other than to say that they compliment one another beautifully.
Reading Watson's tome (they're both big books but MacGregor's is full of beautiful pictures), I became interested in all sorts of people I'd either never heard of, or didn't really know anything about. Many of these unknown Germans, Austrians & Swiss etc were writers and one of these is Heinrich Heine.
Not sure why exactly but he seemed like an interesting character and so I begun to look about for some of his work to read. Although he wrote prose as well as poetry it is perhaps for his poetry that he best known. But how to read poetry in translation? The whole point of poetry is that it's language as art. I'd never thought about this problem before and it vexed me a little.
So to cut a long story short I bought a CD of Schubert's Lieder, problem solved. Now I have about 7 of them and I'm enjoying German language poetry set to the universal language of music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H42Ef...
and Neil MacGregor's Germany: Memories of a Nation
www.goodreads.com/book/show/23113270-...
neither of which do I intend to dwell upon other than to say that they compliment one another beautifully.
Reading Watson's tome (they're both big books but MacGregor's is full of beautiful pictures), I became interested in all sorts of people I'd either never heard of, or didn't really know anything about. Many of these unknown Germans, Austrians & Swiss etc were writers and one of these is Heinrich Heine.
Not sure why exactly but he seemed like an interesting character and so I begun to look about for some of his work to read. Although he wrote prose as well as poetry it is perhaps for his poetry that he best known. But how to read poetry in translation? The whole point of poetry is that it's language as art. I'd never thought about this problem before and it vexed me a little.
So to cut a long story short I bought a CD of Schubert's Lieder, problem solved. Now I have about 7 of them and I'm enjoying German language poetry set to the universal language of music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H42Ef...
March 31, 2025
Started this book to help with learning German and it was honestly a bad idea (I had to look up nearly every other word) but it was still kind of interesting to see both the German version next to the English translation and to see how the translator chose to interpret each word and line for an English speaking audience. Maybe one day I’ll revist this collection when I know a little more German!
December 4, 2018
I would have given this 4.5 stars based on the actual Heine poems, but the verse translations were so mawkish.
May 31, 2022
Wonderful selection of this poet’s works. Excellent translations.
Want to read
January 25, 2024ملاحظة لي: لم اقرا الكتاب بعد - شاعر الماني يهودي والذي كان ينتقد المجتمع والمسيحية بقسوة لاضطهاده (وهو متعاطف بصدق مع ماسي المسلمين في الاندلس)
September 9, 2025
nice translations
February 21, 2017
great for scholarship, these poems are simple, the translation too
April 28, 2010
Please, no more rhyming translations.
February 17, 2010
A sentimental choice: my father's favorite 19th century German poet.
April 27, 2023
Many of these poems are very impressive, even to this day.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews