Life

The life of the chickens is red.
The lift of compassion is red.
The life is beautiful.
Lift of the hearts in the body of dogs.
The life of the heart is dear.
The life makes the heavens cheer.
The life would like to be longer.
may love live slower.
slowly life is long.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Das Leben

Das Leben der Hühner ist rot.
Das Beben der nächstenliebe ist rot.
Das leben ist schön.
Beben der Herzen im Leibe der Hunde.
Das Leben der Herzen ist lieb.
Das Leben macht den Himmel heer.
Das Leben möchte länger sein.
langsamer es Lebe die Liebe.
langsames Leben ist lang.

* * *

Notes


Illustration by Oswald Tschirtner. Click image to enlarge.

Herbeck rhymes a word in one line with an odd choice in the subsequent line by simply changing the first letter: "Leben" (life) and "Beben" (earthquake or tremble). When Oya and I first worked on this, we avoided the rhyme altogether and used "trembling." Later, I decided on "lift," which has something of "Beben" and is possible by simply changing the last letter of "life."

Herbeck again uses this word "heer," which I haven't found in any German dictionary. Capital "H" Heer means "army," and in the French translation of this poem the translators use the word "triomphant," or triumphant.

That is so French it just feels wrong to use in the English version, even if it's correct. Oya and I left it as "heer," but I've since decided that, in context, "cheer" seems to work well.