We sat by the fisherman's house

Für die Liebe!

Text by Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)
Translated into English by Joseph Massaad 
deutsch - français


We sat by the fisherman's house
And out to see, we gazed;
The evening mists were forming
And high above were raised.

The lanterns in the lighthouse
Were one by one turned alight,
And far away in the distance,
Another ship was in sight.

We spoke of storm and shipwreck,
Of the seamen lives that hover
Between fear and joy,
And between sky and water.

We spoke of the remote shorelines,
Of southern bays, of northern bays,
And of the strange people who live there,
And of their peculiar customs and ways.

By the Ganges there is fragrance and light,
And giant trees blossom with power,
And beautiful and quiet people
Kneel before the lotus flower.

In Lapland people are dirty,
Flat-headed, broad-muzzled and small;
The squat around the fire and bake
Fish, and they croak and squall.

The maidens listened attentive,
And none made a single remark;
The vessel was no longer to be seen:
I was becoming far too dark.