Note 325 — Chapter III · THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE LIBIDO. A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF PRIMITIVE HUMAN DISCOVERIES
Beatrice M. Hinkle translation
The German word “Schwan” belongs here, therefore it sings when dying. It is the sun. The metaphor in Heine supplements this very beautifully.
“Es singt der Schwan im Weiher
Und rudert auf und ab,
Und immer leiser singend,
Taucht er ins Flutengrab.”
Hauptmann’s “Sunken Bell” is a sun myth in which bell = sun = life = libido.