Laudator Temporis Acti

Oswald von Wolkenstein (1376-1445), "Ich sich und hör," lines 1-36, tr. Albrecht Classen, The Poems of Oswald von Wolkenstein: An English Translation (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), pp. 51-52:

I see and hear
that many a person laments about the disappearance of his property;
I, on the other hand, only lament about the disappearance of my youth,
the disappearance of my carefree attitude
and of that what I used to do at that time        5
without any consciousness about it because the earth provided me with support.
Now, being hampered by bodily failure,
my head, back, legs, hands, and feet alert me to the approaching old age.
Whatever sins I might have committed without any need,
you, sir body, make me pay for this recklessness        10
with paleness, red eyes,
wrinkles, grey hair: I can no longer do big jumps.
My heart, my brain, my tongue, and my strides have become hard to move,
I am walking bent over,
my trembling weakens all my limbs.        15
When I sing I only intonate "O dear!"
I sing nothing else day in and day out;
my tenor has become rather rough.

My wavy blond hair
that once covered my head with curls,        20
now displays its beauty in grey and black,
bald spots form a round shield,
my red lips are turning blue,
which makes me look disgusting to the beloved.
My teeth have become        25
loose and ugly and do no longer serve for chewing.
Even if all material in this world belonged to me,
I would not be able to get the teeth renewed,
nor to purchase a carefree attitude.
This would be possible only in a dream.        30
My abilities to fight, to jump, and to run rapidly
have turned into limping.
Instead of singing, I do nothing but utter coughing sounds.
My breathing has become heavy.
The cold earth would be the best for me        35
because I have lost my strength and am not worth much.

The German, from Die Lieder Oswalds von Wolkenstein, ed. Burghart Wachinger (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2015), pp. 13-14:

Ich sich und hör,
das mancher klagt verderben seines guetes,
so klag ich neur die jungen tag,
verderben freies muetes,
wes ich vor zeiten darinn pflag,        5
und klain emphand, do mich die erden trueg.
Mit kranker stör
houbt, rugk und bain, hend, füess das alder meldet;
was ich verfrävelt hab an not,
her leib, den muetwill geldet        10
mit blaicher farb und ougen rot,
gerumpfen, grau: eur sprüng sind worden klueg.
Mir swert herz, muet, zung und die tritt,
gebogen ist mein gangk,
das zittren swecht mir all gelid,        15
owe ist mein gesangk.
dasselb quientier ich tag und nacht,
mein tenor ist mit rumpfen wol bedacht.

Ain krauss weiss har
von locken dick hett ainst mein houbt bedecket,        20
dasselb plasniert sich swarz und grau,
von schilden kal durchschöcket;
mein rotter mund wil werden plau,
darumb was ich der lieben widerzäm.
Plöd ungevar        25
sind mir die zend und slaunt mir nicht ze keuen,
und het ich aller werlde guet,
ich künd ir nicht verneuen,
noch kouffen ainen freien muet,
es widerfüer mir dann in slaffes träm.        30
Mein ringen, springen, louffen snell
hat einen widersturz,
für singen huest ich durch die kel,
der atem ist mir kurz:
und gieng mir not der küelen erd,        35
seid ich bin worden swach und schier unwerd.

See George Fenwick Jones, "The 'Signs of Old Age' in Oswald von Wolkenstein's Ich Sich und Hör (Klein No. 5)," Modern Language Notes 89.5 (October, 1974) 767-786.


Albert Anker, Der Trinker Related posts:

• An Irritable Carcass (Llywarch [attrib.], "Song of the Old Man")
• Erasmus on Old Age
• Horrors of Decrepitude (commentary on Erasmus)
• Sans Teeth, Sans Eyes, Sans Taste, Sans Everything (Maximianus, Elegies 1.119-156)
• Ronsard, Odes IV.13
• Old Age (William Butler Yeats, "The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner")
• An Old Man (C.P. Cavafy, "An Old Man")
• Methuselah (Brian Sewell)