Sometimes I think maybe I’m annoying my friends with my obsession with poetry, mainly because most of them are not that passionate about it. It’s totally legitimate. But when I do hang out with friends that love it, it’s a great chance to read poetry out loud and to enjoy it.
Place: Haifa. especifically, my friend’s rooftop that overlooks Haifa’s port.
Time: Friday night. Dark skies, brights stars and scattered grey clouds.
Poems:
My German friend read Herman Hesse’s poem “Stufen”, which is translated to steps in English. My friend explained to me that Stufen in German is more like stairs, or ascending steps.
Here’s the German version:
Wie jede Blüte welkt und jede Jugend
Dem Alter weicht, blüht jede Lebensstufe,
Blüht jede Weisheit auch und jede Tugend
Zu ihrer Zeit und darf nicht ewig dauern.
Es muß das Herz bei jedem Lebensrufe
Bereit zum Abschied sein und Neubeginne,
Um sich in Tapferkeit und ohne Trauern
In andre, neue Bindungen zu geben.
Und jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne,
Der uns beschützt und der uns hilft, zu leben.
Wir sollen heiter Raum um Raum durchschreiten,
An keinem wie an einer Heimat hängen,
Der Weltgeist will nicht fesseln uns und engen,
Er will uns Stuf´ um Stufe heben, weiten.
Kaum sind wir heimisch einem Lebenskreise
Und traulich eingewohnt, so droht Erschlaffen;
Nur wer bereit zu Aufbruch ist und Reise,
Mag lähmender Gewöhnung sich entraffen.
Es wird vielleicht auch noch die Todesstunde
Uns neuen Räumen jung entgegen senden,
Des Lebens Ruf an uns wird niemals enden,
Wohlan denn, Herz, nimm Abschied und gesunde!
And here’s the English version:
As every blossom fades
and all youth sinks into old age,
so every life’s design, each flower of wisdom,
attains its prime and cannot last forever.
The heart must submit itself courageously
to life’s call without a hint of grief,
A magic dwells in each beginning,
protecting us, telling us how to live.
High purposed we shall traverse realm on realm,
cleaving to none as to a home,
the world of spirit wishes not to fetter us
but raise us higher, step by step.
Scarce in some safe accustomed sphere of life
have we establish a house, then we grow lax;
only he who is ready to journey forth
can throw old habits off.
Maybe death’s hour too will send us out new-born
towards undreamed-lands,
maybe life’s call to us will never find an end
Courage my heart, take leave and fare thee well.
Here’s another English version:
Like ev’ry flower wilts, like youth is fading
and turns to age, so also one’s achieving:
Each virtue and each wisdom needs parading
in one’s own time, and must not last forever.
The heart must be, at each new call for leaving,
prepared to part and start without the tragic,
without the grief – with courage to endeavor
a novel bond, a disparate connection:
for each beginning bears a special magic
that nurtures living and bestows protection.
We’ll walk from space to space in glad progression
and should not cling to one as homestead for us.
The cosmic spirit will not bind nor bore us;
it lifts and widens us in ev’ry session:
for hardly set in one of life’s expanses
we make it home, and apathy commences.
But only he, who travels and takes chances,
can break the habits’ paralyzing stances.
It even may be that the last of hours
will make us once again a youthful lover:
The call of life to us forever flowers…
Anon, my heart! Do part and do recover!
What do you think? which translation do you like better and why?
you know Ezra Pound, who translated many poems himself once said that when a poem is translated, it is being re-created. I surely agree, for as we sat there enjoying the lovely Northern breeze, we discussed the poem and its translation. One line that caught my attention is the following: “Und jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne,
Der uns beschützt und der uns hilft, zu leben.”. Knowing a bit of German was a bit of help, but ultimately it is still a foreign tongue to me, and I still find it hard to capture the essence of what is spoken. When my friend read this line, my other German friend released a sigh of awe and exclaimed this is beautiful. Such reception, that is simply inaccessible for me is a source of beauty of languages.
So let’s try to understand this line: Anfang is beginning, start. Zauber (which is such an interesting word) means magic, charm or spell. the verb beschützen means to guard, to protect. The verb wohnt, which comes from the verb Wohnen is also interesting and is related to Heidegger’s concept of dwelling, it means to live, to reside or to dwell. My understanding of the sentence as follows: with each beginning, there’s a magic power dwelling within us, that leads and helps in this life.
I’m not sure I captured the feeling and the state that Herman Hesse felt when he wrote these lines, but this is less important. What is important is the beautiful lines and the sense of peace that this poem conveys: each phase in life has its beginning and its ending. No need to rush or anticipate a feeling or a phase that is not there. It reminds of another German’s poem (guess who? yes, Rilke) who said “let everything happen to you, beauty and terror”.
Have a great week and read more poetry :)!
the little lantern poetry 