Critique of the Heart
Wilhelm Busch, trans. Judith Homann
"Wilhelm Busch was a 19th century German poet, humourist and artist. His work is mostly funny or satirical, always clever and sometimes very gentle, as this poem is. He is a true household name in Germany, but is not widely known abroad. He had a great feeling for witty rhymes and a beautiful flow to his language which I have always loved and wanted to share with a wider audience, so I attempted to translate this poem."
Now don’t you be all sad and grave
That hastily our time unfurls;
That this cool and eerie wave
Pulls us down into its whirls.
That the heart’s sweetest emotion,
That love’s pleasure, unsuppressed,
Yonder heavenly devotion
Finally puts itself to rest.
Let us love and sing and drink,
Let us while the time away;
Because even a slight wink
Can flash forever from today.
Now don’t you be all sad and grave
That hastily our time unfurls;
That this cool and eerie wave
Pulls us down into its whirls.
That the heart’s sweetest emotion,
That love’s pleasure, unsuppressed,
Yonder heavenly devotion
Finally puts itself to rest.
Let us love and sing and drink,
Let us while the time away;
Because even a slight wink
Can flash forever from today.
Judith has had music in her life from a very young age, right back to when her grandmother bought her a keyboard because the teachers complained about her being bored and disruptive in Kindergarten. She later picked up the saxophone, and finally singing - eventually with Madrigirls when she moved to Glasgow. Her behaviour has since improved (mostly) but her love of music has stayed with her...