The German pages from Math's Diary

Funny, a straight translation of these pages makes no sense; they're evidently the words to an old German song only it's messed with, and there's other handwriting besides Math's.

But imagine if you were young and trying to seem cosmopolitan in a foreign city. What if you found yourself doing something that would NOT be permitted at home (girls in your rooms at night with no chaperone), while being a little in love with one of those girls...who starts singing...? It's a song about injustice, written by a student who was executed in 1820. We think they played at translating the song literally, with Math saying, "I've gotta write that down!" and Lena, reading what he wrote, saying, "No, that's not right!" Much laughter and suggestive looks...
I sent the pages to Michael Hortsch, who graciously translated them (see below).

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May 24/14 from Lena Wisiak
Zu spät kommt
oft die Reue ein
Herz vor Gramm
vergeht das kleine
Word verzeihe kommt
leider oft zu spät
Regret often comes too late
Sorrow breaks a heart
The little word "sorry" often comes too late

Zu spät kommt oft die Reue, ein Herz vor Gram vergeht.
Das kleine Wort "verzeihe" kommt leider oft zu spät.
http://wollmeise.blogspot.com/

"The following "poem" in Math’s diary is partially based on the poem attributed to Sand. However, there is no punctuation and the line breaks make little sense. After a few lines Lena’s poem deviates more and more from the original".

Ich verfolge dich noch
als Leiche wenn du meiner
je vergisst und im Toden
kleide schleiche ich beständig
wo Du bist. Hast Du mein Eid
mir vergeben Fluch sei mag
dir kein Gl¸ck Pein und
Selichkeit verloren wenn ich je
Vergesse dein. In Liebe lernt
lernten wir uns kˆnnen (Should read "kennen") ach
es war nur ein kurzes
Gl¸ck. Wie oft hast du
aus falscher Liebe einen
Ku_ auf meinen Mund
gedr¸ckt wenn du hinter
dustre ("d¸strer=dunkel") Mauer oft mit eine
andere geht so bedenke du
mit Trauer das du deiner
Leichen Herzens brichst!
Nun so ? und las
und scheiden ohne Kus(s)
und Druck der Hand
dem ich glaube von uns
beiden hat die Liebe sich
gewandt!
Helene Wiciak
Wenn ich mu_ gestorben
??? geh zu meinem Grabe
hin schreibe leise in den
Sand diese hast du geliebt
Und gekannt
Helene Wiciak
Berlin dort?? ??49
den 24 Mai 1914

[Translated:

I follow you still as my body

when you ever forget and deaths

I slip resistant dress where you are.

Do you have my oath forgive me is like a curse

Gl ¸ ck you no pain and

Selich lost if I ever Forget you.

In love, learn we got may submit (Should read "know")

ach It was only a short Gl ¸ ck.

How often have you from false love

a Ku_ on my mouth

Something Gedr ¸ if you get

behind dustre ( "d ¸ strer = dark"),

often with a wall others go

so you think with sadness that you your

Corpses heart breaking! Well, then?

reading and excrete without Kus (s)

and pressure of the hand

I think we two, the love is turning!

Helene Wiciak

If I died mu_ ?? go to my grave

write down softly in the Sand these loved you

And known

Helene Wiciak

Berlin there? ? 49 the May 24, 1914]

"This is the original version of the poem:"

DER SCHWUR
Als sie naht, die Abschiedsstunde,
Die uns hier so schmerzlich trennt,
Noch einen Ku_ von deinem Munde,
Der auf meinen Lippen brennt.
Treue hab ich dir geschworen:
Fluch treff mich und ewige Pein,
Heil und Seligkeit verloren,
Wenn ich je vergesse dein!
Sollst du je meineidig werden,
So treff dich des Rächers Fluch,
Dich verfolgt mein Dolch im Leben
Und mein Geist im Leichentuch.
Dich verfolg ich noch als Leiche,
Wenn du meiner je vergi_t,
Und im Totenhemde schleiche
Ich dir nach, auch wo du bist.
Nimm zum Liebesunterpfande
Dies, mein dunkel Lockenhaar
Mit dem schwarzrotgoldnen Bande,
Das an meinem Busen war.
Nimm sie hin, die dunkle Locke,
Ewig, ewig lieb ich dich!
Horch, wie tˆnt so dumpf die Glocke,
Lebe wohl und denk an mich.

(Deutscher Liederhort II Nr. 760 (ohne Melodie);

Handschriftliches Liederbuch eines Soldaten;

Arnstadt, 1848 geschrieben.

"Attributed to Karl Ludwig Sand, who murdered August von Kotzebue. Supposedly written to his lover before his execution in 1820.
Karl Ludwig Sand (Wunsiedel, then in Prussia, 5 October 1795 - Mannheim, 20 May 1820) was a German university student and member of a liberal Burschenschaft (student association). He was executed in 1820 for the murder of the conservative dramatist August von Kotzebue the previous year in Mannheim. As a result of his execution, Sand became a martyr in the eyes of many German nationalists seeking the creation of a united German national state. The events of Sand's life are narrated in the story Karl Ludwig Sand, part of Celebrated Crimes by Alexandre Dumas.
The imagery in the poem is typical German romantic period. After the liberation from the Napoleonic rule a strong nationalistic and democratic movement developed among German intellectuals, leading to the revolution of 1848/49. The lock of hair in the poem is bound together by a black/red/gold ribbon, which represents the colors of today’s German national flag. These colors were originally the uniform colors of the "L¸tzowsches Freikorp", a Prussian military unit fighting in the liberation war against the French 1813-1815".

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCtzow_Free_Corps

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If you compare the script in the diary with Michael's translation, you can discern who wrote what...but they were just being silly and euphoric that night, I think.