The Bride

The bride was onlyfold to behold where also
in the infirmary beauty was also the bride
at the atelar. Where smoke and someone miserable
is. The bride and broom was a dungheap
to be swept away. The bride
was also here barable. The bride
slole often around and dulgettely she
leaned also. Where also the bride was
a little wagerette.

Translated by Oya Ataman and Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Die Braut

Die Braut war laute einzig dar wo auch
im Spital die Schönheit war auch die Braut
am Atelar. Wo Rauch und mancher Arme
ist. Die Braut und kehr ein Mist war
und ihn wegzukehren dar. Die Braut
war auch hier an der bar. Die Braut
schlal oft vorsich hin und labsalin sie
lehnte auch. wo auch die Braut ein
kleines Wettchen war.

* * *

Notes


Oya Ataman and Gary Sullivan's notes for "The Bride." Click on image to read.

Oya did a first draft of this poem and, together, we made a few adjustments. I don't remember now how we got to many of the odd words we came up with--there are a few--but the notes shown above were writen during this process, and suggest that we were combining part-words together.

Mann und Frau

Ehe man die Ehe spann wo auch ein Kerl war.
die Frau. wo auch die Frau zu Hause war.
Der Mann im Kinde und der Mann war.
Die Ehe und die Frau. Die Ehe von Mann
und Frau war gut. Die Ehe eine gute war.
Die Frau verlog sich nicht weil
auch der Mann zu Hause war. Die Ehefrau
war auch nicht blind. Die Ehe des Mannes
aber auch die Frau ein gutes Blatt.

[This poem has not yet been translated.]

Air

Thick above the horizon
there blows the air.
blows also on past you
because one is being out of air
least clean air becomes not seen
different air is also hard to see.
There at the house there is no air
it is over the roof nearly four meters
                                        high.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Die Luft
Dick überm Horizont
da weht die Luft.
weht auch an dir vorbei
weil ein außer die Luft gewesen ist.
mindest reine Luft wird nicht gesehen.
andere Luft ist auch kaum zu sehen.
Da am Hause keine Luft ist
ist sie überm Dache fast vier Meter
                                        hoch.

Das Feuer

Heida das Feuer ein heiliger
Strauch.
ein Heller und ein Batzen.
Ein Rauch der Flieder wächst.
Am Hause roter Hahn einssteht.
das Heute noch vor kurzem
Ein Haus gewesen ist.

[This poem has not yet been translated.]

The Water

Brightly on the bank there rests the water.
only at the brook there rests the earth.
only when the fear is great
must the water rush.
the beautiful bush
writes a poem.
from water we have learned.
that water flows in the brook.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Das Wasser

Hell am Ufer da steht das Wasser.
nur am Bache da steht die Erde.
nur wenn die Furcht is groß
da muß das Wasser rauschen.
der Schöne Busch
schreibt ein Gedicht.
vom Wasser haben wirs gelernt.
das Wasser fließt am Bache.

The Cross

The cross is red. In bronze.
The cross is red in the sun.
I am red in the face.
The cross is red. The cross is beautiful.
i am beautiful i think; my concern.
The Christian cross is bronze.
The cross is called halberd.
The cross of mankind is red.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Das Kreuz

Das Kreuz ist rot. In Bronze.
Das Kreuz ist rot in der Sonne.
Ich bin rot im Gesicht.
Das Kreuz ist rot. Das Kreuz ist schön.
ich bin schön meine ich; meine Sorge.
Das christliche Kreuz ist bronze.
Das Kreuz wird hellobarde genannt.
Das Kreuz der Menschen ist rot.

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.

Gray

The color of honor is usually gray.
gray is in the jacket was in the army.
gray mixed with green.
gray was also the mouse.
gray is beautiful.
gray is every uniform.
gray is the silk.
The Gray Foreboding
for every soldier-coat
the gray color and a mound.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Grau

Die Farbe der Ehre ist sonst grau.
grau ist im Rock im Heere war.
grau gemischt mit grün.
grau war auch die Maus.
grau ist schön.
grau ist jede Uniform.
grau ist die Seide.
Die Graue Ahnung
für jeden Soldatenrock
Die graue Farbe und ein Nock.

* * *

Notes

I originally translated "Ahnung" as "Hunch," but I think "Foreboding" is more apt, especially considering Herbeck's capitalization of "Graue" just before it, suggesting something more than just a hunch.

Herbeck served in the military from late 1944 to early 1945.

Black

Black is the day
daily I see black.
Black is death.
Black is also dark of day.
Black is also dumb.
Black is the color bright it gold.
Black is also dark.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Schwarz

Schwarz ist der Tag
Täglich sehe ich Schwarz.
Schwarz ist der Tod.
Schwarz ist auch dunkel der Tag.
Schwarz ist auch dumm.
Schwarz ist der Farbe hell es Gold
Schwarz ist auch dunkel.

Purple

The color is beautiful.
This color is a mixture of red and pink.
The color is also purple when purple is purple.
Purple are so many clouds.
Purple is our purse our money.
Purple is already a beautiful color.
Purple is our color for dead flags.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Lila

Die Farbe ist schön
Diese Farbe ist ein Gemisch von rot und rosa
Die Farbe ist auch Lila wenn Lila lila ist.
Lila sind so manche Wolken.
Lila ist unsere Geldbörse unser Geld.
Lila ist schon eine schöne Farbe.
Lila ist unsere Farbe der toten Fahnen.

* * *

Notes

I'm unsure whether the last line ought to be "Purple is our color of dead flags" or "Purple is our color for dead flags." I originally had the former, but just now changed it to the latter. It feels more right, but I wonder if I'm simply guilty of normalizing a line that isn't quite normal.

Violet

The color was rose-red
then blue came along and cried
viola viola violeta.
violet was lovely but only in the sky.
completely simply this color was
lovely you violet.
The cry of violet colors.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Violett

Die Farbe war rosarot
da kam blau dazu und rief
voila voila violetta.
violett war schön doch nur am Himmel.
ganz einfach diese Farbe war
schön du violett.
Der Ruf der Farben violett.

* * *

Notes

The German word "Ruf" can mean anything from "call," "cry," "shout," or "whoop," to "reputation," "fame," and "renown." In my first draft I had "woof," which I later changed to "rep." My feeling now, given the use of the related "rief" ("cry" or "call") in the second line, is to go with "cry."

Green

Green is the color of the meadows.
the green color, green are the woods.
Green are the woods.
Green are the leaves.
The green color finds itself in the container.
the silo must have bright-green color.
green is beautiful. Beside manure.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Grün

Grün is die Farbe der Wiesen.
die Farbe grün, grün sind die Wälder.
Grün sind die Wälder.
Grün sind die Blätter.
Die grün Farbe befindet sich im Behälter.
der Silo muß hellgrüne Farbe haben.
grün ist schön. Neben Mist.

* * *

Notes

"Mist" means "manure," "droppings," "rubbish," or "bullshit" in German. Manure seemed most apt in this context.

Yellow

Yellow is the sand of the earth
Yellow is the color of the bronze forests.
Yellow is the hearts of flowers.
Yellow are the asters.
Yellow is the meadow. of money.
the franc is yellow. — brunette.
i have seen a yellow franc.
yellow is for example my pencil.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Gelb

Gelb ist der Sand der Erde.
Gelb ist die Farbe der Ehernen Wälder.
Gelb ist die Herzen der Blumen.
Gelb sind die Astern.
Gelb ist das Feld. das Geld.
der Franc ist gelb. – brünett.
ich habe einen gelben Franc gesehen.
gelb ist zum Beispiel mein Pencil.

* * *

Notes

I've italicized the two words in English that appear in italics in the German publication. While it is most likely that Herbeck underlined, rather than italicized (see "Morning" for an example of a poem in his original handwriting), I've decided to remain true to the poems as they were published. Italics are used consistently throughout Herbeck's publications in German, except in the the book Bebende Herzen im Leibe der Hunde, where emphasized words are underlined.

"Feld" would be more accurately translated "field," which I had before. But "meadow" works, and does what "field" does not: it picks up the "ow" from "yellow" and the "m" from "money," which are at least, perhaps even more, important.

"of money" because if it were not for that period, one would read the line:

"Gelb ist das Feld das Geld" as "Yellow is the field [or area] of money."

Even with the period, I'm arguing, the temptation is there to read it this way. (And, Herbeck throws down periods in the middle of statements elsewhere.)

Red

Red is the wine, red are the carnations.
Red is beautiful. Red flowers & red.
Color itself is beautiful.
The red color is red.
Red is the flag, red the poppy.
Red are the lips and the mouth.
Red is the reality and the
autumn. Red are many blue leaves.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Rot

Rot ist der Wein, rot sind die Nelken.
Rot ist schön. Rote Blumen und rote.
Farbe dazu ist schön.
Die rote Farbe ist rot.
Rot ist die Fahne, rot der Mohn.
Rot sind die Lippen und der Mund.
Rot sind die Wirklichkeit und der
Herbst. Rot sind manche Blaue Blätter.

* * *

Notes

Most of the poems in the "color" series I translated alone. If Oya and I did discuss these poems during our meetings, most haven't changed since I first translated them prior to our collaboration. Any faults here, then, are my own.

Ein schöner Mond

Der Mund einer Dame am Himmel stand
der Mond die Sirene im Walde einst war.
der Mann im Monde im Dr. das Bild.
der im es wünscht und keine arznei.
der Mumps der ihm Walde ein Lid erzählt
da stand der Dr. vor im.
Was war ein schöner Mond und nichts
im Knie der Dame war.
War das nicht ein schöner Mum.

This poem has yet to be translated.

Das Telephon

Die große Schnur und ein apparat
war auch für ihn und ihm von hoher
                              wart.
der andere stramm wie ich und du.
wo auch ein Apfel von Wichtigkeit
war. Das Horchgerät und Gabel olge
auch ein Dare. Das Tele voll von
Nummer war. war auch der eine
Staatsmann dar. Der woher glüht an
der Saar wo auch ich einer war.

This poem has not yet been translated.

The Machine

Gladly I would like to write as well.
There she stands brave and brushed.
“Yes rupturing we’re there together.
whenever the—‘Person’—the people see”
I would like to write, you willing
when they see that she goes.
Dieselmachine.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Die Maschine

Gerne möchte ich auch schreiben.
Da sie brav und bürstig steht.
»Ja da brechen wir zusammen.
wenn der—»Mensch«—die Menschen sieht«
schreiben möchte ich, dich gerne
wenn sie sehen, daß sie geht.
Dieselmaschine.

* * *

Notes

In an earlier draft I had "mensch" instead of "people," but that just seemed unnecessarily cute.

Death

Death is completely huge.
Death is huge
Your death is gruel.
Death is beautiful.
Death is also.
The death of animals.
Death is also stupid.
I can go into death.
Death in the school as a girl.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Der Tod

Der Tod ist ganz groß.
Der Tod ist groß
Dir Tod ist grütze.
Der Tod ist schön.
Der Tod ist auch.
Der Tod der Tiere.
Der Tod ist auch dumm.
Ich kann in den Tod gehen.
Der Tod in der Schule als Mädel.

Life

Life is beautiful
already as beautiful as life.
Life is very beautiful
we learn this; life;
Life is very beautiful.
How beautiful is life.
It begins beautifully life.
So (beautifully) heavy it is it also.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Das Leben

Das Leben ist schön
schon so schön als das Leben.
Das Leben ist sehr schön
das lernen wir; das Leben;
Das Leben ist sehr schön.
Wie schön ist das Leben.
Es fangt schön an das Leben.
So (schön) schwer ist das es auch.

Love

It was a dear letter in reply
there it said only a beginning nt
“the” love—love it is not.
There the opening was amiss
or misth in the loving breath.
How always was the loving there.
                    love,
Where also ts “a quiet breath.”

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Die Liebe

Es war ein lieber Antwortbrief
da hieß es nur ein Anfang nit
»die« Liebe—liebe ist es nicht.
Da war der Anfang nicht darauf
was fehlte im hder liebe Hauch.
Wie immer war die liebe da.
                    die Liebe,
Wo auch st »ein leiser Hauch.«

* * *

Notes

This poem was one of the first I attempted to translate on my own, in late 2003, before working with Oya. In contrast with the current version, here is that earlier attempt:

Love

It was a kind letter in reply
it just didn't want to begin
"the" love--b/c that isn't love.
There the opening was amiss
or missed up in air.
Like always love was "the" love there.
                    the Love,
there, in its quiet breath, its "lesser haunch."

Die Wintertage

Hell lesen wir am Nebelhimmel
wie dick die Wintertage. Sind.
Offenkunde Volk und Mädel
d’sich kundig selbst hier tummeln.
der Schnee und das Eis am Bache war.
rundig und das Wasser rauscht.
und das Wasser rauscht.

[This poem has not yet been translated into English.]

Autumn

As solitary signals in the woods
was a cuckoo calls.
the wind whistles the branches and
see there, autumn was there.
joke a bigger cockadoodledoo
a hare was a dear boo.
the elder lets the lashes lower
where also in autumn the leaves sower.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Herbst

Als einsamer Melder im Walde
war ein Kuckuck ruft.
der Wind saust die Äste und
siehe da, der Herbst war da.
scherz ein großer Hanengruß
ein Hase war ein lieber Kuß.
der Alte ließ die Wimpern fallen
wo auch im Herbst die Blätter sallen.

* * *

Notes

There is no German word "sallen," but the orthographically similar "sollen" means "should" or "to be." Herbeck may have changed "sollen" to "sallen" so as to create a perfect rhyme for "fallen," which ends the line just above it.

Oya and I decided to rhyme "lower" with "sower," which is a noun in English, but not a verb, as we're using it. The idea of using sower as a verb seemed like it both captured the strangeness of "sallen" and echoes "to be" and "should" from the original. (Think "Parable of the Sower.")

Summer

You To The Door to herein and fine
was the sun bright light.
was the summset-solstice
“Steel.”
the wine-red gleam of the Viennese
walls and also your bright leaves
tree. just one was called red.

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Sommer

Dir Zur Tür zur herein und fein
war der Sonne helle schein.
war der Somset-Sonnenwende
“Stahl.”
die weinrote Schimmer der Wiener
wälle und auch dir Blätter helle
Baum. war nur einer, der hieß rot.

[This poem has yet to be translated into English.]

Spring

Mr. Cutter was in the whoods
and she the farmer was in the woods
and he saw how her wagon rolled
where the heart in the heart wood struck.
tik targ where also a gnarl was to
                    be heard
and held her wholly wonderful
                    in spring.
o’er the whole year.

Translated by Oya Ataman and Gary Sullivan.

* * *

Frühling

Der Herr Fäller war im Wahld
und sie der Bauer war im Wald
und sah er wie im Wagen rollte
wo das Herz im Herzen Holz schlug.
tik targ wo auch ein Knorr zu
                    hören war
und hielt sie ganz wunderbar
                    ihm Frühling.
über’s ganze Jahr.

* * *

Notes

There is no German word "Wahld"; there is "Wald" ("woods") and "Wahl" ("choice" or "election"). Oya and I decided on "whoods," which alludes to both "woods" and "who," the latter having an obvious relationship with "choice" or "election."

Morning.

In autumn the wind of fairies
                    align
as in the snow the
manes meet.
Blackbirds whistle afield
in the wind and eat.

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Der Morgen.

Im Herbst da reiht der
                    Feenwind
da sich im Schnee die
Mähnen treffen.
Amseln pfeifen heer
im Wind und fressen.

* * *

Notes on "Morning." ("Der Morgen.")


"Der Morgen." in Herbeck's own hand. Click for larger image.

The German word "reiht" means "rank" or "lines up"--in my original translation, I went with the latter. I didn't like using two words to get across one, and Oya and I later agreed on "aligns."

The German word "Feenwind" = "fairies," plural, and "wind," singular. Another English translation of this poem renders this word "wraithwind," which is beautiful, but seems more consciously "poetic" than the original German.

There is no German word "heer," in lower case; although "Heer," with a capital H means "army." It is, however, close to "hier," which means "here." In the French translation of this poem, "heer" has been translated as "claironnent," and my inclination was to go with "clairionly." In discussing the poem with Oya, however, we hit on "afield," which seems to allude to "here," "army" and "clarionly."

* * *

Oswald Tschirtner's illustrations for "Der Morgen"




Illustrations by Oswald Tschirtner. Click images to enlarge.

The Dream.

The dream is a paper
the dream is at night
then came the gatekeeper
who opens up the gates.

the dream is clear light
death is the woman
the The Day is the dream
and the beam is the dream

Translated by Gary Sullivan and Oya Ataman.

* * *

Der Traum.

Der Traum ist ein Papier
der Traum ist zur Nacht
da kam der Pförtner
der die Tore aufmacht.

der Traum ist klares Licht
Der Tod ist die Frau
der Der Tag ist der Traum
und der Baum ist der Traum

* * *

Notes


Illustration by Oswald Tschirtner. Click image to enlarge.

This poem appears as the first poem in each of the four editions of Herbeck's work that I have, despite the fact that the poem that always follows it, "Der Morgen" (see above), is according to numerous sources, including Navratil himself, the first poem that he had Herbeck write.

"the The Day is the dream" has been questioned by some as a mistranslation of "der Der Tag ist der Traum," as "der" is, of course, not always a definite article (it can also mean "which" or "who"--as it does in the first stanza of this very poem).

I've gone with "the The Day" for two reasons.

1) The French translation I have translates the line as "le Le jour est le rêve"

2) Oya felt that "the The Day" was right.

Another oddity in this poem. Although "der Baum" is obviously "the tree" in English, I've translated it as "the beam" in English. The reason is that I don't believe Herbeck got to "der Baum" because he wanted, necessarily, to mean "the tree," but because he wanted an exact rhyme of "der Traum." He does this sort of thing frequently, in many cases resulting in a word that doesn't exist, but which may put one in mind of a somewhat similar word that does exist. "Beam," especially given the tree-like nature of beams, and that many are actually made of wood, seemed most apt here.

Oswald Tschirtner



In the 1970s, Oswald Tschirtner (above), who was also a patient at Gugging, drew illustrations for about 50 of Herbeck's poems. These illustrations accompany their respective poems in the book Bebende Herzen im Leibe der Hunde (Rogner & Bernhard, 1979). When illustrations exist, I will include them in the notes for their respective poems.

Oswald Tschirtner was born in Perchtholdsdorf in 1920. He served in World War II, and was taken prisoner by the French. When he returned to Austria in 1946 he was hospitalized for psychiatric disturbances, and lived at Maria Gugging for most of his life until his death in 2007.

Tschirtner's art has been exhibited widely: at the Sao Paulo Biennale, the Hayward Gallery, London, Parsons School of Design, New York, and in other venues in Vienna, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Bremen, Lausanne, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Part I
Poems 1960–1966



[A translation of Leo Navratil’s introduction to the first set of poems in Im Herbst da reiht der Feenwind. The original German follows.]

It seemed appropriate to open this collection with the 83 short poems that appeared for the first time in my book Schizophrenia and Language (1966) under the pseudonym “Alexander” in their original order. This sequence of Herbeck’s early, usually undated poems has a certain tradition. The history of the reception of Herbeck’s poems began with this publication.

The 83 early poems are nearly throughout written on postcard-sized white Bristol with blue ball-point pen (Herbeck later wrote on normal A4 typing paper). Herbeck wrote of all these texts during our meetings, on my request and according to a specific topic. I very rarely suggested a title. Herbeck would then sometimes come up with strange headings, such as “The Humanmen” or “Thou Joyhero.”

Herbeck often thought for a long time before he wrote anything down. Usually a short remark or word of encouragement would get him started. Herbeck wrote in a pleasing, scholastic cursive.

Because the Bristol I provided was not very large, the texts were short and the writing small. I avoided larger typing paper at first, wanting Herbeck to focus on shorter written expression.

Herbeck’s akathisia was at that time much restrained. In later years his writing changed considerably. His complete work is characterized by an enormous variability of the handwriting.

--Leo Navratil

Translated by Gary Sullivan.

* * *

I.
1960–1966

Es schien zweckmäßig, die 83 kurzen Gedichte, die 1966 in meinem Buch “Schizophrenie und Sprache” unter dem Pseudonym “Alexander” erstmals erschienen sind, an den Anfang zu stellen und auch die Numerierung beizubehalten. Diese Reihenfolge der frühen, meist undatierten Gedichte Ernst Herbecks hat schon eine gewisse Tradition. Bei der ersten Veröffentlichung wurde eine stilistische Analyse dieser frühen Gedicht versucht und auf deren Numerierung Bezug genommen. Die Rezeptionsgeschichte der Dichtungen Herbecks began mit dieser Publikation. Die 83 frühen Gedichte sind fast durchwegs auf postkartengroße weiße Zeichenkartons mit blauem Kugelschreiber geschrieben (später schrieb Herbeck auf normales Schreibpapier im Format A4). Alle diese Texte hat Herbeck vor mir, auf meine Bitte und nach Angabe eines Themas geschrieben. Nur ganz selten kam es for, daß ich ihn bat, selber einen Titel zu wählen. Herbeck bildet dann seltsame Überschriften, wie “Der Mannmensch” oder “du Freudenheld.” Herbeck überlegte oft längere Zeit, bevor er einige Worte niederschrieb, oft mußte ich ihm durch eine kurze Bemerkung oder Ermunterung zum Weiterschreiben einen Anstoß geben. Herbeck hatte eine gefällige, schulmäßige Kurrentschrift. Entsprechend dem kleinen Format des zur Verfügung gestellten Kartons waren die Texte kurz und die Schrift klein. Ich verwendete auch deshalb zunächst kein normal großes Schreibpapier, um meinen Anspruch möglichst gering erscheinen zu lassen. Ich wollte Herbeck nur zu kurzen schriftlichen Äußerungen veranlassen.

Herbeck war damals psychomotorisch sehr gehemmt. In späteren Jahren sollte sich seine Art zu schreiben beträchtlich verändern. Sein Gesamtwerk zeichnet sich durch eine enorme Variabilität des Schriftbildes aus.

--Leo Navratil

Publisher’s Preface



[ A translation of the introduction of Ernst Herbeck, Im Herbst da reiht der Feenwind (Residenz Verlag, 1992). The original German follows.]

Ernst Herbeck’s originality as a poet is doubtless; nevertheless his complete work should also be understood as the result of a “discussion,” which was begun in the mid-fifties and ended with Herbeck’s death in 1991. Herbeck wrote only when asked, almost always in response to a given title. He made no changes or corrections to his texts other than during the initial act of writing. He neither saved his own poems, nor did he make decisions about which poems to publish. None of Herbeck’s writings were destroyed. I would like to point out that his complete work is available in the Austrian National Library for later editions and full investigation.

Herbeck wrote approximately 1,200 poems and short prose pieces in just over 30 years; about a third of it has been published in this book. Previous collections were published in 1966, 1977, 1979, and 1982. Since these publications have all gone out of print over time, it seemed right now to provide a comprehensive overview of Herbeck’s complete poetic work. The present book includes work not published in Herbeck’s previous collections, including a selection of poems written in the last years of his life.

The texts have been published as Herbeck wrote them. Since deviations from the rules and conventions of the language are a right of the poet, and in Herbeck’s writings are often significant, inadvertent errors have been corrected only in rare cases. I believe that Herbeck’s poetic energy is in part a result of the fact that, despite a good education, he did not worry about the exact observance of rules, preferring to write with a certain nonchalance.

The original lineation of the poems and prose pieces has been preserved as well.

The work is arranged in chronological order to maintain a sense of process over time, and appear in this book in five sections: 1960–1966; 1967–1968; 1969–1976; 1977–1981; and 1982–1991. The great majority of the writings were dated by Herbeck himself. Undated sheets have been assigned to one of the five sections according to their first publication or other criteria.

As to the likely date of origin of the early poems: Since September 6, 1960, Ernst Herbeck was in Haschhof, a branch of Gugging, where he wrote his first poem, “Morning.” So in all probability, Herbeck wrote this and other early poems in the autumn of 1960. The first dated poems (“The Cigarette” and “The Witch”) were written on January 25, 1961.

* * *

Vorbemerkung des Herausgebers

Ernst Herbecks Eigenständigkeit als Dichter steht über jedem Zweifel; dennoch ist sein Gesamtwerk auch als das Ergebnis eines “Gesprächs” zu verstehen, das in der Mitte der fünfziger Jahre begonnen wurde und mit dem Tode Herbecks 1991 zu Ende gegangen ist. Herbeck hat stets nur auf Wunsch und meist nur nach Angabe eines Titels geschrieben. Änderungen und Korrekturen an seinen Texten nahm her nur während deren Entstehung vor, nachher nicht mehr. Er had seine Schriften weder selbst aufbewarht, noch hat er entschieden, welche veröffentlicht werden sollen. Es wurde keine einzige der von Herbeck verfaßten Schriften vernichtet. Ich möchte darauf hinweisen, daß sein Gesamtwerk für spätere Editionen und wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen in der Österreicheischen Nationalbibliothek zur Verfügung steht.

Herbeck hat innerhalb von etwas mehr als dreißig Jahren rund 1200 Gedichte und kurze Prosatexte geschrieben; etwa ein Drittel davon ist in diesem Buch wiedergegeben. In den Jahren 1966, 1977, 1979, und 1982 wurden größere Werkabschnitte in Büchern veröffentlicht. Da alle diese Publikationen seit lingerer Zeit vergriffen sind, schien es angezeigt, nun einen umfassenden Überblick über das dichterische Gesamtwerk Herbecks zu geben. In das vorliegende Buch wurden noch unbekannte Texte aus seinen sämtlichen Schaffenperioden aufgenommen. Auch eine Auswahl aus jenen Arbeiten, die in den letzen Jahren seines Lebens entstanden sind, wird hier zum erstenmal veröffentlicht.

Die Texte Herbecks werden so wiedergegeben, wie er sie geschrieben hat. Da Abweichungen von den Regeln und Konventionen der Sprache ein Recht des Dichters und in den Schriften Herbecks oft bedeutungsvoll sind, wurden auch anscheinend versehentlich eingetretene Fehler nur in den seltensten Fällen korrigiert. Ich glaube, daß Herbecks dichterischer Elan zum Teil darauf beruht, daß er sich trotz guter Kenntnis der Sprachlehre um genaue Befolgung nicht kümmerte und deren Regeln mit einer gewissen Nonchalance handhabte.

Auch die Zeilenanordnung der Gedichte und kurzen Prosatexte blieb gewarht.

Die Arbeiten sind in chronologischer Reihenfolge angeordnet und tellen dadurch ein Ganzes in einem Zeit-und Lebensablauf dar. Die groß Mehrzahl der Schriften ist von Herbeck selbst datiert worden. Die Entstehungsdatem sind angegeben, wo sie vorhanden sind.

Das Gesamtwerk wurde, der Entstehungszeit entsprechund, in fünf Perioden gegliedert. Undatierte Blätter konnten auf Grund ihrer ersten Publikation, eventuell auch anderer Merkmale, den einzelnen Werkabschnitten zugeordnet werden.

Zur Entstehungszeit der frühen Gedichte: Ernst Herbeck befand sich seit dem 6. September 1960 auf dem Haschhof, einer Dependance der Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Gugging. Dort ist sein erstes Gedicht “Der Morgen” entstanden. Es ist mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit anzunehmen, daß Herbeck bereits im Herbst 1960 dieses und einige seiner weiteren frühen Gedichte geschrieben hat. Die ersten datierten Gedichte stamen vom 25. Jänner 1961.

About This Project



While on a trip to Paris in 2003, I discovered the little book above in the bookstore of the Musée d'art Naïf. One hundred short poems by Ernst Herbeck, a writer I had never heard of, in German and French. Having studied German a bit in college, and mistakenly believing the language used to be reasonably simple, I bought the book, hoping to brush up on my German, and hopefully learn a bit of French in the process.

Five years later, I now have several more books by Ernst Herbeck, including one posthumous collection, Im Herbst da reiht der Feenwind, (In Autumn the Wind of Fairies Aligns) which collects together some 400 of the poet's approximately 1,200 poems.

Ernst Herbeck was born in 1920 in Stockerau, Austria. He was operated on numerous times for a congenital hair-lip, which made speaking difficult for him for much of his life. While working in a munitions factory in 1940, he began to report the feeling of animals or other people invading his body. He was briefly institutionalized, released, and served for about five months in the military. He was hospitalized again in 1945, and spent the rest of his life in mental institutions.

About the poems
In 1960, the psychologist and writer Leo Navratil (1921-2006) met with Herbeck and, providing him with a blank postcard and a pen, asked him to write a poem on the subject of "morning." After thinking for a while, Herbeck wrote the following poem:

Der Morgen.

Im Herbst da reiht der
Feenwind
da sich im Schnee die
Mähnen treffen.
Amseln pfeifen heer
im Wind und fressen.

Navratil was struck by the results and continued this process, providing pen, paper, and subject for Herbeck during many of their meetings until Herbeck's death on September 11, 1991.

About the translation process
Given the way these poems had been written, not to mention my rather spotty German, I decided, rather than attempting super-accurate translations (never possible under the best circumstances), that I'd translate the process, to some extent. Taking the complete German-language original as my "prompt," I attempted to translate what I could, as quickly as I could, and then to fill in what remained somewhat associatively.

After translating about 100-150 of Herbeck's poems this way (the first few of which were published in an issue of the online journal Fascicle), I began meeting with Oya Ataman, a Turkish-born woman who was then living in Munich. Over the course of a year or so, from about 2006-07, we went over many of the poems I had translated, and collaboratively translated dozens of others as well, this time trying to capture more of the mood, meaning, and word-play going on in the originals.

Since then, I've continued to translate his work, and am now beginning to put the poems back in order, to see what there is. The poems appear in Im Herbst da reiht der Feenwind more or less chronologically. Most are dated; I've supplied the dates where they exist, in the American fashion (e.g., 10/23/63 for October 23, 1963, which would have appeared as 23. 10. 63 in Herbeck's original hand).

More about this project
I'd like to use this blog to continue the translation and editing process. Using Im Herbst da reiht der Feenwind as my guide, I'll post a new poem every day or so, in German and English translation, with any relevant notes. I'll also post the publisher's and editor's introductory material as well, in both the original German and English translation.

All feedback is encouraged. Feel free to post comments, or e-mail me, especially if you see anything that looks completely off, and which doesn't seem to make legitimate "creative" sense. If you want to try your hand at translating any of these, please feel free. A menu box on the right links to the poems that have yet to be translated.

I plan to publish a collection of some of this work in book form at some point in the not-too-distant future, so if you would like acknowledgment, or would like to have any of your own translations considered for inclusion, definitely leave your full name and, ideally, some way to reach you, if you leave comments rather than e-mail.

For more about Herbeck in English, see this, this, and this.