Was fühl ich in mir? (What Do I Feel Within Me?)
Finally, one that I made.
And now it's time for the English-German-English re-translation of " What Is This Feeling?"! I think that out of all of them I've done, this one was simply the most delightful. Back then a song about this length would take me about two and a half hours, but I was giggling pretty much the entire time. From the opening lines, as you'll see, it was clear: "Okay, it's seriously not going to get better than this."
Was fühl ich in mir?
(What Do I Feel Within Me?)
Click to view(More of Willemijn Verkaik as Elphaba and Lucy Scherer as Galinda in Stuttgart. Lucy's way of giving Galinda's description of Elphaba [before "blonde"] cracks me up. So many syllables, so little time!)
GALINDA:
Herzallerlieblingstes Mamsilein, süßester Papsipups ...
Belovedest of all my heart Little Momsie, sweetest Popsipuppy… (1)
(1) I laughed at this for, like, five minutes. It is so Galinda.
ELPHABA:
Lieber Vater ...
Dear Father…
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Beim Verteilen der Zimmer
At the distribution of the rooms
Ging es ziemlich kreuz und quer.
It went very much all over the place.
ELPHABA:
Keine Angst - ich sorg für Nessa.
No worries-I'll care for Nessa.
GALINDA:
Keine Angst - ich bleib gelassen.
No worries-I’ll stay calm.
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Ich benehm mich wie erwartet und gewohnt.
I’ll behave as expected and accustomed to.
Ja.
Yes.
Die, die jetzt das Zimmer
She, who now the room
Mit mir teilt, ist leider sehr...
Shares with me, is unfortunately very…
GALINDA:
... gewöhnungsbedürftig und beispiellos verwunderlich,
Unaccustomedly and unprecedentedly astonishing,
So unvorstellbar unbeschreiblich und sonderbar.
So unimaginably indescribable and strange.
ELPHABA:
... blond.
…blonde.
GALINDA:
Was fühl ich in mir?
What do I feel within me?
Was geht mir so nah?
What affects me so deeply?
ELPHABA:
Ich fühl es in mir,
I’ve felt it within me,
Seitdem ich dich sah...
Since I saw you…
GALINDA:
Mein Mund ist trocken.
My mouth is dry.
ELPHABA:
Es zuckt das Kinn mir.
My chin is twitching.
GALINDA:
Ich komm ins Stocken.
I grind to a halt.
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Was fühl ich in mir?
What do I feel within me?
Weiß ich, was das ist,
Do I know what it is,
Was mein Herz zerfrisst?
What eats at my heart?
Ja!
Yes!
Grauen.
Horror.
Nacktes, abgrundtiefes Grauen.
Bare, profound horror.
GALINDA:
Deine Kluft,
Your outfit,
ELPHABA:
Dein Krähn.
Your crowing.
GALINDA:
Dein Schauen ... (2)
Your look…
(2) This appears to be a gerund of the verb "to look." Based on the English version, it would refer to Elphaba's appearance, but it could also refer to the way Elphaba looks at people/things/Galinda-in-particular, so I left it as a sort of neutral word.
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Jeder Blick - auf dich tut weh.
Every glance-at you hurts.
Alles, was du bist - vom Kopf zum Zeh,
Everything you are-from head to toe,
Macht mich einfach krank, wenn ich dich seh.
Simply makes me sick, whenever I see you.
Mich packt das kalte Grauen.
Cold horror fills me.
Meine Abscheu ist fanatisch. (3)
My loathing is fanatical
Du bist mir so unsympathisch, (4)
You are so unsympathetic to me
Dass mir graut vor dir.
That I’m horrified by you.
Es kam über mich mit einem Schlag,
It came over me with a shock,
Und ich glaube, bis zum jüngsten Tag, (5)
And I believe, until my last day,
Bleibt in mir das Grauen,
The horror will remain within me
Grauen, das ich nie verlier.
Horror, that I’ll never lose.
(3) Something I like about the translation of this musical is that when, for reasons of rhyme or meter, the title line (or in this case, just the most prominent line) of the song has to be changed, they try to throw a nod to it elsewhere in the song. Thus, here we have "loathing." The same thing happens with "Popular" and "No Good Deed."
(4) The word "unsympathisch" in German dictionaries might throw out definitions like "unappealing" or "unpleasant." I don't think these quite get to the heart of the word the way simply "unsympathetic" does, but it's a slightly different meaning of "unsympathetic" than we tend to get in modern English. To say "you are so unsympathetic to me" like this means, basically, "you are so unlike me in every way as to be unlikable to me."
(5) I would never have gotten this if I hadn't seen something similar in my Old English class last semester. "My youngest day" is my last day-- the day that is youngest when I die. Ha ha, get it?
STUDENTS:
Oh Galinda, du bist viel zu gut.
Oh Galinda, you are much too good.
An deiner Stelle wär ich blind vor Wut.
In your place I would be blind with rage.
Sie ist schrecklich, sie ist greuchlich.
She is terrible, she is horrid.
Wir woll'n nicht Partei ergreifen,
We don’t want to adopt a party,
Doch, Galinda, du bist heilig!
But, Galinda, you are holy!
GALINDA:
Nun ... man prüft uns, dass wir reifen.
Now… we are tested so that we mature.
STUDENTS:
Ach Galinda, es ist infam
Oh Galinda, it is infamous
Die bei dir wohnt, ist unausstehsam. (6)
That she who lives with you is unbearableful.
In demselben Zimmer!
In the same room!
Welch ein Melodram.
What a melodrama! (7)
Wir spür'n dein Grauen
We feel your horror
(6) It took me forever to figure out that this was an "Oz-word" and not an actual word. I kept going through online dictionaries all, "Why isn't it heeeere?" Finally, I was clued in by the fact that "disgustickified" isn't a word, either.
(7) HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Best translation ever! I kind of wish this was the line in English.
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Was fühl ich in mir?
What do I feel within me?
Was geht mir so nah?
What affects me so deeply?
STUDENTS:
Nacktes, abgrundtiefes Grauen
Bare, profound horror
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Ich fühl es in mir, seitdem ich dich sah ...
I’ve felt it in me, since I saw you!
STUDENTS:
Ihre Kluft, ihr Krähn, ihr Schauen
Her outfit, her crowing, her look
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Mein Mund ist trocken.
My mouth is dry
STUDENTS:
Jeder Blick
Every glance
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Ich komm ins Stocken.
I grind to a halt
STUDENTS:
Auf sie tut weh
At her hurts
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Oh, was fühl ich in mir?
Oh, what do I feel within me?
STUDENTS:
Alles, was sie ist - vom Kopf zum Zeh
Everything she is-from head to toe
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Weiß ich was das ist?
Do I know what it is?
STUDENTS:
Macht uns einfach krank, wenn wir sie sehn
Simply makes us sick, whenever we see her
ELPHABA/GALINDA:
Ja!
Yes!
ALL:
Ahhh!
Ohhh!
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Grauen!
Horror!
STUDENTS:
Grauen!
Horror!
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Meine Abscheu ist fanatisch.
My loathing is fanatical
STUDENTS:
Grauen!
Horror!
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Du bist mir so unsympathisch,
You are so unsympathetic to me
STUDENTS:
Grauen!
Horror!
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Dass mir graut vor dir.
That I’m horrified by you!
STUDENTS:
Vor dir!
By you!
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Es kam über mich mit einem Schlag,
It came over me with a shock,
Und ich glaube, bis zum jüngsten Tag
And I believe, until my last day
Bleibt in mir das
Within me will remain the
ALL:
Grauen
Horror
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Ewig bleibt das
Eternally will remain the
ALL:
Grauen
Horror
GALINDA/ ELPHABA:
Denn du bist so grauenhaft,
Because you are so horrendous
STUDENTS:
Grauenhaft
Horrendous
ELPHABA/ GALINDA:
Mir graut vor dir!
I’m horrified by you!
STUDENTS:
Grauen,
Horror
Nacktes, abgrundtiefes Grauen!
Bare, profound horror!
ELPHABA:
Boo!
GALINDA:
Aaah!