These rather tart quatrains by the Austrian writer Ada Christen (1839-1901) may be seen as a useful corrective to last week’s piece by Heine and also as a reflection of the way in which mid-nineteenth century German literature was reacting again the Romantic movement that had dominated the early part of the century and turning instead to a kind of social realism. Of course, poets will always be preoccupied with what Robert Frost called ‘inner weather’, but it does no harm for them to be reminded from time to time that most of the world’s population has its hands full dealing with outer weather.

The translation that follows is my own.

Noth

All euer girrendes Herzeleid
Tut lang nicht so weh,
Wie Winterkälte im dünnen Kleid,
Die bloßen Füße im Schnee.

All eure romantische Seelennot
Schafft nicht so herbe Pein,
Wie ohne Dach und ohne Brot
Sich betten auf einen Stein.

Ada Christen

Need

All your cooing heart’s distress
Lasts not so long a woe
As winter cold in threadbare dress
And bare feet in the snow.

And all your soul’s romantic need
Makes far less cause for moan
Than without roof and without bread
To couch upon a stone.