The Washington herald., 1907-10-27
THE OPERA IN ENGLISH
A PLEA FOR ACCURATE TRANSLATIONS
AS AN AID TO ART

radiant mien holds me enthraIled," 4" Mid
clouds Of light he scared MY deliv'rer.
dear And when Elsa says "WlU er.
Gemahl. mich heissen." Amelia Sedlev
says. IF in his heart he'll wear me"
(sic).
And again, when. in the very prettiest
syncopation Of eagerness, she sings:
Mem He'd. men Rctter MIN mich hin.
DIR seb' ich allies was lch bin.
The English prude pipes out.
My hope my s,lacr. hero mine
DO thou protect me- ] am thine
There was nothing at that stage Of the
play from which 10 beg protection. Lohen-
grin had just arrived and declared for
her, and Elsa, spellbound until that mo-
ment, the directions say, is suddenly
overwhelmed with TapturUUs emotion
'Mein Held. mein Retter" bursts from
her. My hope my sOlace" sounds ma
ternal A few lines farther on. the same
telling syncopatiOn expresses the futter-
ing heart Of the enraptured girl: Mem
Schirm. Mein Engel. Mein ErI0serl"; but
this is what the creature OF the transIa-
ton says. "Oh thou, nay hero, my de-
fender Yet perhaps the worst is reached
when this same hymn-tendency makes
her sing these lines, which sound Ike
pious old Dr. Watts;
"Oh that nay tongue Thy name could praise.
The songs Of the angels 10 Thee would urraiss''
And these:
Ny Lord, I here confess Thee,
I'd live for Thee alone
Wit Thou diyineiy bless ne.
Oh take NE FOR thine OWL"
In the touching prayer Of Elsa. this
simple petition:
Lass mich ihn sehn. vie ich Inn sab.
VIE ich lhn sab, Sci Ct mir nah,
comes out in the English as.
Stainless and white,
Radiantly dignt
Let me behold that form Of light"
This jingles uncommonIy like the old
nursery rhyme:
Ride cock horse 70 Baubuy Cross
To sc a young lady get Oh a white horse
What spite the translator seems 10 have
for our good English God Never once
in this whole opera does she allow il TO
figure on her pages With irritating per
sistence she substitutes heaven"
mercy" saints, and what not hmsy
counterfeit. Now see how, in the orig
inal. these pious German folk Of the tenth
century call upon their God in time OF
need. without apology or haIf-hearted
( timldity
/ The wives and children. threatened with
I the invasion of Hungarian h0rdes. cry
I out. Lord Cod. save US from the Hun
garians' wrath The Kings first greet
/ ing, "GOtt grUss euch. lieber Manner
Won Brabant"--hearty and wholesome
/ is diluted into fHeavn shield W. loyal
/ lieges OF Brabant-" And so with his other
/ cjaCulau0ns- "G0tt lass mich weise
/ sein"' 'Mein Herr und Gott nun rur
/ ich Dich" so hilf uns Gottr' The
/ chorus shouts 10 God. but the trauslating
/ lady confines them 10 the holy saints"
and when the German chorus halls Lob
( engriu as "GOtJEesaudter Held" the Eng
I lish dummies say BE thou welcome,
/ heav'n hath sent thee here"
Elsa prays 10 God, but Amelia 20
/ ''heav'n." Lohengrin hurts defiance at
! Teltamund with Colts UrtheT-' and
later on. AT the moment Of victory,
/ shouts. "Durch Gottes Sieg ist jetzt dein
/ Leben mein.' What resemblance 10 the
/ latter IS this feeble stuff: by Heav IS
behest 70 me was vict'ry lent?'
/ But the worst burlesque is this inevi-
/ table and tiresome ''heav'n" when Ortrud
sneers at her disgraced and irate con-
/ sort