Ich bin es nicht (It Is Not Me)

[lily_handmaiden]

by me

I was going to do another Merlin review today, but I'm much more in the mood for this: the re-translation of "I'm Not That Girl" from Wicked. It's just one of those days.

This song was heartwrenching to translate. I kept stopping every couple of lines to go, "Oh, Elphaba." To me, it feels like the German version of the song is even sadder than the English version. This could be just because I'm desensitized to the English version by now, or because translating made me go through the German version of the song so slowly and the full impact of every line hit home as I was discovering its meaning. What are your thoughts?

 

Ich bin es nicht

(It Is Not Me)

 

(This clip also includes the entire Lion Cub scene, with Willemijn Verkaik as Elphaba and Mark Siebert as Fiyero. If I could hear the dialogue clearly, I'd translate that for you, too. Although it delights me that apparently "genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow" translates, at least in some capacity. The song itself starts around 3:35. I wanted to keep my embedded videos of the original cast as much as possible, and you know how I admire Willemijn Verkaik. But I feel I have to mention that there's a good quality, absolutely beautifully done version of the song by Roberta Valentini right here.)

ELPHABA:

Puls steigt. Herz flirrt.

Pulse rises. Heart whirrs.
Plötzlich sprachlos und verwirrt.

Suddenly speechless and confused.
Sehnsucht, und die Welt voll Licht.

Longing, and the world full of light.
Er, er könnt es sein.

Him, it could be him.
Doch ich bin es nicht.

But it is not me. (1)

(1) Word-for-word, the lines translate as, "He, he could be it/ But I am not it." But that's so awkward in English. Somewhat at a loss for a while, I got the idea to translate it this way from this site. That's the only translation tip I took from there, I swear. And, technically, it is equally grammatically correct.

Nimm's so, wie es ist.

Take it as it is.
Denk dran, wer und was du bist.

Think of who and what you are.
Bild dir bloß nicht ein Wunder ein.

Don’t go imagining a miracle.
Er, er könnt es sein.

Him, it could be him.
Ich bin es nicht.

It is not me.

In schwachen Stunden

In weak hours
Fliehn wir davon

We escape from it
In das Land des So-Könnt-Es-Sein.

Into the land of It-Could-Be-So.
Doch Trost für Wunden bleibt Illusion,

But consolation for wounds remains illusion,
Denn die Wirklichkeit holt uns ein.

Because reality catches up with us.

Blick lockt, Mund lacht.

Look entices, mouth laughs.
Sie ist wie für ihn gemacht.

She is like she was made for him.
Goldhaar und ein Feengesicht.

Gold hair and a fairy face.
Seine Art von Frau.

His type of woman.
Ich weiß genau,

I know for certain,
Ich bin es nicht.

It is not me. (2)

(2) :(

Gib auf, lass los!

Give up, let go!
Manche Wünsche schmerzen bloß.

Some wishes only cause pain.
Wen interessiert, ob mein Herz zerbricht.

Who cares if my heart breaks?
Das bemerkt er kaum.

He hardly notices it.
Sie ist sein Traum.

She is his dream.
Ich bin es nicht.

It is not me. (3)

(3) D*: You see?!

Comments

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

for me, the song only WORKS in terms of the preceding scene--I used to just be like, oh, it's On My Own only not as good--but then you see her grab his hand, and the first stanza is suddenly OH MY GOSH and then the rest of it is D: D: D:

And I think you're right about it being sadder--"She is like she was made for him." is a lot stronger than "She's winsome, she wins him" and "Who cares if my heart breaks?/He hardly notices it." is just D: D: D: D:

that is one of my favorite scenes in the whole play.

[lily-handmaiden.livejournal.com]

Heh, yeah, when I first heard this song I was listening to "Jane Eyre the Musical" a lot, and thought of it as "Painting her Portrait" but less angry. But it's a great song in its own right, especially in context. (When it starts raining! And she hides under the bridge!)

I agree, those are the lines that got me most, too. I mean, just... D:

German "Thank Goodness" has a similar effect. There are a couple of lines that just make me want to cry for Glinda.

[(Anonymous)]

Personally, I think it's the word 'me' that changes the song. In the English version, it seems to be all about types, as in 'I'm not his type of girl', whereas here, it's much more personal. It's not just the fact that I'm not blonde or pretty or giggly or girly per se, it's that I'm ME and she is HER. It just makes it so much worse when you know it's a personal thing.

I am firmly convinced that feeling this type of unrequited love changes a woman, and I think the way this song is translated shows that even more than the English version does. You look at things differently once you've been there, and as much as I hated it, I think it's something everyone should experience just so they know how it is, and try to avoid causing it to anyone else. I think you can see the change in Glinda too, later on in the show. This is one of my favorites that you've translated so far. Well done.

~Whit

[lily-handmaiden.livejournal.com]

Can I tell you, this is one of my favorite comments ever?

You're absolutely right, the pronoun change does make the German version more personal. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but you're totally right. Good reading! And I love the way you put it: "It's that I'm ME and she is HER." Exactly. "Of course he doesn't want me, because I'm ME." So sad and yet so relatable.

And for Glinda, later, it's more, "He doesn't want me even though I'm ME, because he loves HER. And being me is just not enough." I love Glinda's reprise of this song in both versions.

I'm glad you like the translation! Thank you! :)