Bonn, Germany

Lowry spent six weeks in Germany learning German in September/October 1928 at a Weber's  English College. ( Bowker Pursued By Furies Pg. 79-80). Lowry met Paul Fitte at the college who he later shared a room with at Cambridge University.

Many of the German references in Lowry's work stem from this visit. Lowry told Clemens ten Holder in a letter dated  23/4/1951; ".....that was the only class I took with Herr Schmidhus, who mostly dealt with advanced students, but then that was almost the only thing I learned at all in Bonn, outside the bar of the Hotel Rheinischer Hof." (Collected Letters Vol 2 Pg. 373). In the same letter to ten Holder, Lowry says that he saw the Murnau film Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise) in Bonn.

Dana asks the German sailor Popplereuter says in Ultramarine; "You were in Bonn? (Pg. 87) and later Popplereuter says "Vor dem Krieg. I go to Bonn Universität as a student. I belong to a good corps, too" (Pg. 88).

Lowry refers to the city in the poem 'In the Oxaca Train' 1937; " From wooled thoughts of Bonn or of Bootle." (Collected Poetry Pg. 104).

Lowry mentions the "Bonn-Doumerghue business" in his unpublished book La Mordida which perhaps refers to some business with regard to meeting Paul Fitte in Bonn (Malcolm Lowry's "La Mordida" Pg. 340)

Drei Segelmann

Lowry refers to the song in his novel Ultramarine when Dana and Popplereuter are on their drunken drift around Dairen sing several songs including Drei Segelmann; We sang. We sang Drei Segelmann, which I don't know, but I joined in the chorus. We sang Mademoiselle from Armentières, Deutschland uber Alles, and Lisa; For He's A Jolly Good Fellow, and God Save The King; Lisa again, and The Bastard King of England, with which Popplereuter was unfamiliar..." (Pg. 89). Lowry later refers to the song in the 1940 Under The Volcano; "He began to sing: "Drei Segelmann, drei Segelmann ( Pg 368).

Lowry's memory of the song probably relates to his visit to Germany in 1928 which he recall in letter to Clemens ten Holder dated 23rd April 1951:"were celebrating the defeat of Essen Verein at hockey, I having played inside left for Bonn Verein, a refrain that went, every now and then: Zwei null! we having defeated them 2-0. Also there was another song to the refrain Drei Segelmann (Collected Letters Vol 2 Pg 375).

To date, no German song has been identified called Drei Segelmann. The title of the song translates in Lowry's poor German as 'sail man' which is probably incorrect. Lowry could have possibly Germanicised a sea shanty called We be Sailors Three by Thomas D'Urfey (1653-1723):


Chorus:
We be sailors three,
Pardonnez moi je vous au prie
Lately come forth of the Low Country
With never a penny of money

Here good fellows, I drink to thee,
Pardonnez moi je vous au prie
To all good fellows where-ever they be
With never a penny of money.   (Chorus)
And he that will not pledge me this,
Pardonnez moi je vous au prie
Pays for the shot, whatever it is,
With never a penny of money.  (Chorus)

Charge it again, boys, charge it again,
Pardonnez moi je vous au prie
As long as you've got any ink in your pen
With never a penny of money (Chorus)


Further sea shanties/songs relating to three sailors are discussed here.

Cologne Carnival

The Cologne Carnival is a carnival that takes place every year in Cologne, Germany. Traditionally, the "fifth season" (carnival season) is declared open at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th of November. The Carnival spirit is then temporarily suspended during the Advent and Christmas period, and picks up again in earnest in the New Year. The time of merrymaking in the streets is officially declared open at downtown square Alter Markt on the Thursday before the beginning of Lent. Street carnival, a week-long street festival, also called "the crazy days", takes place between the Fat Thursday (Weiberfastnacht) and ends on Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch). The highlight of the carnival is Rose Monday (Rosenmontag), two days before Ash Wednesday. All through these days, Cologne folks go out masqueraded. The typical greeting during the festival is Kölle Alaaf!, a Kölsch phrase which can be translated as "Cologne above all!" Read more on Wikipedia

August Sander Cologne Carnival

Lowry refers to the carnival in his novel Ultramarine when the German sailor Popplereuter tells Dana; "But at this Cologne Carnival I threw a man into the Rhine" (Pg.88). Lowry probably heard about the festival while he was in Germany in 1928 or possibly even visited the festival as he was still in Germany in October. (Gordon Bowker Pursued By Furies Pg. 80).

Bonn Universität

The University of Bonn (German: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn)was founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions.


At the end of the 19th century the university was also known as the Prinzenuniversität ( English: Princes' university), as many of the sons of the king of Prussia studied here. In 1900 the university had 68 chairs, 23 adjunct chairs, two honorary professors, 57 Privatdozenten and six lecturers. Since 1896 women were allowed to attend classes as guest auditors at universities in Prussia. In 1908 the University of Bonn became fully coeducational. The growth of the university came to a halt with World War I. Financial and economic problems in Germany in the aftermath of the war resulted in reduced government funding for the university. The University of Bonn responded by trying to find private and industrial sponsors. Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry may have seen the University while he was studying German in Bonn in Autumn 1928. The German sailor Popplereuter says in Ultramarine; "Vor dem Krieg. I go to Bonn Universität as a student. I belong to a good corps, too" (Pg. 88)