Thursday 4 June 2020

Morgenrot, Soi-Disant, Runagate And Rhyming Couplets

A Midsummer Tempest, ix.

Prince Rupert sings "...a riding song of the Continental wars...":

"Morgenrot,
"Morgenrot,
"Leuchtest mir zun fruhen Tod?
"Bald wird die Trompete blasen.
"Dann muss ich mein Leben lassen,
"Ich und mancher Kamerad!" (p. 72)

Sheila has just written me this translation:

"Dawn,
"Dawn,
"Are you lighting my way to an early death?
"Soon the trumpets will sound.
"Then I must leave my love,
"I and many a comrade."

Rupert refers to a "...soi-disant minister..." (of religion) (p. 73) Although I cannot find it now, I thought that I had encountered "soi-disant" in James Blish's Cities In Flight in a context where I took it to mean something like "distant," whereas in fact it means "self-styled" or "so-called." See here.

Rupert is denounced as a "'...whoreson runagate and knave...'" (ibid.)

Poul Anderson signals the approach of the end of a chapter with some rhyming couplets presented as prose although I now rearrange them as verse:

Rupert:

"'Climb down to earth, now; do not seek to flee.
"'I've longer legs than you, 'tis plain to see.'"

Will:

"'I reckon here's where we change trains, my loard,
"'A moment, pray. I'll further look inboard.
"'Here's brew indeed, whole casks o' nut-brown yale!
"'We'll not go thirsty, though we may go stale.'"

Rupert:

"'Our prize's tank and tender are quite full,
"'To Stoke or further, 'twere a steady pull,
"'Save that for speed, we first must turn around,
"'And send that message. So, we'll seize the ground.'" (p. 76)

6 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

But doesn't "Morgenrot" means more "red dawn" or "red morning"? Red from the rising sun at dawn or red from blood, I assume.

I know I came across this cavalry song in another of Anderson's books, but I can't recall where. And Stirling quoted the first stanza or two in one of the Change books, during the war with the CUT.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

I will check.

Paul.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

It literally means "morning redness," apparently.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Exactly what I had been thinking.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

I'd render it more as:

"Morning red, morning red
Will you shine upon me dead?
Soon the trumpets will be blowing
Then must I to death be going --
I and many merry friends."

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Better.