“Nun ist es Zeit, das ich Verstand…” by Heine in Goncharov’s novel “The Precipice”

Abstract

H. Heine’s poem “Nun ist es Zeit, das ich Verstant…”, and I. Goncharov’s novel “The Precipice” is an interesting example of a long-distance creative relationship between the German poet and the Russian novelist. Originally, Goncharov wanted to write a novel about a romantic artist, who lived in the world of illusions and dreams that were crushed by the harsh reality. He borrowed this theme from Heine’s poem which he wanted to use as an epigraph to the novel. However, by the time the novel was completed, its original idea had changed. The novel acquired an epic scope. The novel now was not limited to the story of one character alone — it embraced the problems facing modern society, the fate of Russia. Heine’s poem could no longer make an epigraph to the whole novel. It remained, however, an important detail in the portrayal of Raisky, the main character in the novel. There was something about Raisky and his character that alluded to the romantic world of Heine’s poem. Concluding the novel that was titled “The Precipice”, Goncharov placed Heine’s poem in the final chapter of the novel. The authorship of the poem was attributed to Raisky who wanted to use it as an epigraph to the novel “Vera” he conceived to write. Then, as was quite typical of him, Raisky got a passion for a new idea. He decided to become a sculptor. Thus, Heine’s poem remained an epigraph to the unwritten novel “Vera”. However, the poem is still highly relevant to “The Precipice” as an important detail in the portrayal of Raisky as an “incurable romantic”. By the time Goncharov was completing the novel, he could choose from the three Russian translations of the poem, however, neither of them satisfied him. Goncharov commissioned the translation to A.K. Tolstoy. Thus, the history of the novel “The Precipice” is closely connected with the emergence of the best Russian translation of the 44-th lyrical poem from the section “Homecoming” in Heine’s “Book of Songs”.