The Maternal
Love of nature is maternal.
Nature is love of the mother.
Thou shalt be self so says nature
Fire is the frying pan of nature.
Translated by Gary Sullivan and Ekkehard Knörer.
* * *
Das Mütterliche
Die Liebe zur Natur ist das Mütterliche.
Die Natur ist die Liebe zur Mutter.
Du sollst selber sein so sagt die Natur
Der Regen ist die Traufe zur Natur.
* * *
Notes
I'm reasonably certain that "Du sollst selber sein" is not a normal thing to say in German; one would maybe say it "Du sollst dich selber sein." So "Thou shalt be self" rather than the expected "Thou shalt be thyself."
UPDATE: Based on Ekkehard's comment about the German idiom "vom Regen in die Traufe," I've rewritten the last line.
English-language translations
About This Project
Poems in English 1960-66
Leo Navratil's note on the poems Herbeck wrote from 1960-1966 can be read here.
Air
Alexander
Angel, The
Ass, The
Autumn
Autumn Leave
Black
Blue ("Blue is the bibl")
Blue. ("The red color")
Bride, The
Camel, The
Cave, The
Cigarette, The
Cross, The
Death
delicate hand, A
Desert, The
Dream, The ("The dream is a paper)
Dream, The ("Right is might alone")
Earth, The
Elephant, The
Ernestus Herbeck.
Eye, The
Face, The
Gray
Green
Heavens, The
Hope
House of Pleasure, The
Idol, The
Life ("Life is beautiful")
Life ("The life of the chickens")
long journey., A
Love
Loving
Machine, The
Manmen, The
Mask, The
Morning ("In autumn")
Morning ("Morning is cool")
My Name
Panther, The
Perpose, The
Purple
Pyramid, The
Rainbow, The
Red
Rain, The
Serpent, The
Silence, The
Spiral, The
Spring
Squirrel, The
Summer
Violet
Watch, The
Water, The
Water Lily, The ("The water lily blooms")
Water Lily., The ("The water lily is clearly")
white
Wine., The
Winter
Yellow
Zebra, The
Air
Alexander
Angel, The
Ass, The
Autumn
Autumn Leave
Black
Blue ("Blue is the bibl")
Blue. ("The red color")
Bride, The
Camel, The
Cave, The
Cigarette, The
Cross, The
Death
delicate hand, A
Desert, The
Dream, The ("The dream is a paper)
Dream, The ("Right is might alone")
Earth, The
Elephant, The
Ernestus Herbeck.
Eye, The
Face, The
Gray
Green
Heavens, The
Hope
House of Pleasure, The
Idol, The
Life ("Life is beautiful")
Life ("The life of the chickens")
long journey., A
Love
Loving
Machine, The
Manmen, The
Mask, The
Morning ("In autumn")
Morning ("Morning is cool")
My Name
Panther, The
Perpose, The
Purple
Pyramid, The
Rainbow, The
Red
Rain, The
Serpent, The
Silence, The
Spiral, The
Spring
Squirrel, The
Summer
Violet
Watch, The
Water, The
Water Lily, The ("The water lily blooms")
Water Lily., The ("The water lily is clearly")
white
Wine., The
Winter
Yellow
Zebra, The
Poems not yet translated 1960-66
das auge
Der Dolch
Der Drache
Das Feuer
du Freudenheld
Gedämpftes Saitenspiel
Die Giraffe
Das Glück
Die Hexe
Ida
Indien
Das Känguruh
Der Krieg
Der Kuckuck
Der Löwe
Mann und Frau
Die Maus
Der Mond
Das Nashorn
Die Orchidee
Die Ostern.
Die Rose
Ein schöner Mond
Das Schwert
Die Seerose
Die Seidenraupe
Der Spiegel
Das Telephon
Der Ton
Die Trauerweide.
Die Weihnacht
Die Wintertage
Die Wolken
Der Dolch
Der Drache
Das Feuer
du Freudenheld
Gedämpftes Saitenspiel
Die Giraffe
Das Glück
Die Hexe
Ida
Indien
Das Känguruh
Der Krieg
Der Kuckuck
Der Löwe
Mann und Frau
Die Maus
Der Mond
Das Nashorn
Die Orchidee
Die Ostern.
Die Rose
Ein schöner Mond
Das Schwert
Die Seerose
Die Seidenraupe
Der Spiegel
Das Telephon
Der Ton
Die Trauerweide.
Die Weihnacht
Die Wintertage
Die Wolken
Poems in English 1967-68
Leo Navratil's note on the poems Herbeck wrote from 1967-68 can be read here.
Alfred.
Baker., The
Beautiful Landscape., A
Blood.
Booklet., The
Brooklet., The
Childlike:
Christmas 1967
Death.
Drive, The
Easter.
Egg., The
Eternity and Time.
Fall of Man:
Father., The
Future., The
GOD.
Green Snake.
Hedgehog., The
Houses of Stars.
In the Album.
Lady., The
Language.
Like an Eagle.
Loyalty.
Madness.
Maternal, The
Ocean., The
Ossi Tschirtner.
Owl, The
Park, The
Past., The
Patient, The
Patient and Poet
Peace.
Poison Act, The
Present., The
Psychiatrist., The ("The psychiatrist is the concern ...")
Psychiatrist., The ("The psychiatrist is the man")
Scale., The
Schiller.
Schism., The
School., The
Security.
Silence., The
Sin
Sphinx.
Steamlet., The
SUN, THE
Television.
[untitled] ("The lilac stands in the garden")
Uproar., The
Vase., The
Well-Spring., The
Alfred.
Baker., The
Beautiful Landscape., A
Blood.
Booklet., The
Brooklet., The
Childlike:
Christmas 1967
Death.
Drive, The
Easter.
Egg., The
Eternity and Time.
Fall of Man:
Father., The
Future., The
GOD.
Green Snake.
Hedgehog., The
Houses of Stars.
In the Album.
Lady., The
Language.
Like an Eagle.
Loyalty.
Madness.
Maternal, The
Ocean., The
Ossi Tschirtner.
Owl, The
Park, The
Past., The
Patient, The
Patient and Poet
Peace.
Poison Act, The
Present., The
Psychiatrist., The ("The psychiatrist is the concern ...")
Psychiatrist., The ("The psychiatrist is the man")
Scale., The
Schiller.
Schism., The
School., The
Security.
Silence., The
Sin
Sphinx.
Steamlet., The
SUN, THE
Television.
[untitled] ("The lilac stands in the garden")
Uproar., The
Vase., The
Well-Spring., The
Poems not yet translated 1967-68
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- Security.Half frostbitten, half embarrassed, he li...
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- The Present.The present's a quiet orphan,we just w...
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3 comments:
You are right about "du sollst selber sein"; in a more usual phrasing it would be "du sollst du selber sein"
in the last line there is a German idiom moving underneath the literal meaning: "vom Regen in die Traufe" kommen is an idiom that would be translated as "out of the frying pan into the fire"; i'm not really sure how present that idiom is in herbeck's poem, but it would be the first association for a native speaker
Ah, thank you, Ekkehard. I definitely want to do something with the idiom in English.
Back to the drawing board!
I wonder if the simplest solution might not be:
"The fire is the frying pan of nature."
Will give this some thought ...
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