Sunday, September 2, 2012

a contrary joy





Einsamer nie als im August:
Erfüllungsstunde—im Gelände
die roten und die goldenen Brände,
doch wo ist deiner Gärten Lust?

Die Seen hell, die Himmel weich,
die Äcker rein und glänzen leise,
doch wo sind Sieg und Siegsbeweise
aus dem von dir vertretenen Reich?

Wo alles sich durch Glück beweist
und tauscht den Blick und tauscht die Ringe
im Weingeruch, im Rausch der Dinge—:
dienst du dem Gegenglück, dem Geist.

Gottfried Benn



Never more lonely than in August:
This fulfilled hour, the land
Is red brand after golden brand --
But is your garden’s longing lost?

The clear lakes, a tender gleam
Of sky, the fields softly shine,
But where is triumph and its sign
From your far, native realm?

Though happiness is the proof others find,
Exchanging glances, exchanging rings
In the aroma of wine, a drunkenness of things,
You serve a contrary joy, the mind.

(my translation)






8 comments:

  1. Beautiful success (though I don't know German) in a wonderful poem. So much tightly seen in these three stanzas, by Benn, by you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ruth: i'm very glad that you find something in these lines, though it is hard to say "success' when the translation is inevitably such a smaller thing than the original :-)

      .

      Delete
  2. Lovely natural layers in the first shot.
    Have a good week James! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucia: thank you :-) it was a beautiful day and a beautiful place ...

      .

      Delete
  3. Die letzten vier Zeilen beschreiben so ziemlich mein Leben. Und bevor ich hier ein Buch darüber schreibe, bedanke ich mich für deine beeindruckenden Arbeiten.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robert: Ich danke dir herzlich. Ich frage mich, in welcher Weise die letzten vier Zeilen spiegeln dein Leben? Ich habe nichts dagegen, wenn du ein Buch schreibst! :-)

      Delete
  4. I very much like the poem (must look up Benn) and the pictures are surely of scotland... though maybe not quite as flat :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marion: it is manitoulin island, ontario, in lake huron -- a beautiful, rugged place that has become one of my favorite locations on the planet -- where i spent a day hiking on the niagra escarpement (which i love saying :-), a 1000-mile rift of broken rock along the border country between the US and canada ...

      i very much want to see scotland!!

      .

      Delete