I have attempted a quick and rather word to word translation of the poem. My German is not perfect and at least one line I did not quite understand, so feel free to offer any suggestions. . O body and pain so unified! Nothing at all sunders bones and pain in two. In calling you: two, I split the "Am". In seperating you two, I am gone. Pain that is jammmed grows into a form. So built, we grow old. Just touch yourself: nerves and heart, Feel yourself, what are you? Pain! Wellbeing and peace falsifies your face, an equal balance only locks you closed! But he who is burning inside and is torn, he only then recognises, he only then experiences, he only then recognises, time: that it burns, place: that it swells! Beings of time, beings of place, time - that it is lent, spot - that it dessicates! He who does not succeed nightly to rest, only he penetrates resting and doing. Who sleepless stares in nearness and after light, to him the night becomes hard, only he pays heed around whom emptiness rushes and stillness surrounds, he holds on and is housed in the middle of the world. Whom largely breath, a murderer, avoids, who lies there and close by besides his head stands, who sinks into his racing pulse, he is given a gift, only he recognises! God is the light-sea of a torrential spirit, is and is not, rests and moves. But in the trace of suffering which remains for him, only in the trace he has embodied himself. He came in time and in the violence of death, there he took suffering and the cross for a form! And though I now vilify, even if I have cursed, I have occured so, so am I booked.
I agree to your conclusions. And this is nearly a lost master piece. No way to buy the record of this version nor the Josef Veselka one. I've lost my own one age ago. Let me know if it would be possible to recover an MP3 of this whole wonder.
Schwer zu übersetzen (difficult to translate). "O Lieb und Leid so überein" "O love and pain so one above the other" ha, ha... Soviel ich weiß, gibt es von Werfel keine englischen Übertragungen. Aber kannst du nicht die anderen Teile ins Netz stellen. Vorallem die Vertonungen von "Lächeln, Atmen und Schreiten" und " Der Gute Mensch" ich habe sie leider vor Jahren verloren und kann sie nirgends herkriegen. Oh, Mensch-Lyrik klingt auf englisch komisch. As far as i know, there are no translations into english from Franz Werfel. But i need the other parts of this piece particularly "Lächeln, Atmen und Schreiten" und "Der gute Mensch". I have lost it decades ago.
🙏❤
I have attempted a quick and rather word to word translation of the poem. My German is not perfect and at least one line I did not quite understand, so feel free to offer any suggestions.
.
O body and pain so unified!
Nothing at all sunders bones and pain in two.
In calling you: two, I split the "Am".
In seperating you two, I am gone.
Pain that is jammmed
grows into a form.
So built,
we grow old.
Just touch yourself:
nerves and heart,
Feel yourself,
what are you? Pain!
Wellbeing and peace
falsifies your face,
an equal balance
only locks you closed!
But he who is burning
inside and is torn,
he only then recognises,
he only then experiences,
he only then recognises,
time: that it burns,
place: that it swells!
Beings of time,
beings of place,
time - that it is lent,
spot - that it dessicates!
He who does not succeed
nightly to rest,
only he penetrates
resting and doing.
Who sleepless stares
in nearness and after light,
to him the night becomes hard,
only he pays heed
around whom emptiness rushes
and stillness surrounds,
he holds on and is housed
in the middle of the world.
Whom largely breath,
a murderer, avoids,
who lies there and close by
besides his head stands,
who sinks
into his racing pulse,
he is given a gift,
only he recognises!
God is the light-sea
of a torrential spirit,
is and is not,
rests and moves.
But in the trace
of suffering which remains for him,
only in the trace
he has embodied himself.
He came in time
and in the violence of death,
there he took suffering
and the cross for a form!
And though I now vilify,
even if I have cursed,
I have occured so,
so am I booked.
The poetry in this entire cantata is darkly beautiful
I agree to your conclusions. And this is nearly a lost master piece. No way to buy the record of this version nor the Josef Veselka one. I've lost my own one age ago.
Let me know if it would be possible to recover an MP3 of this whole wonder.
Das war ihr Schreiben.
Schwer zu übersetzen (difficult to translate). "O Lieb und Leid so überein" "O love and pain so one above the other" ha, ha...
Soviel ich weiß, gibt es von Werfel keine englischen Übertragungen.
Aber kannst du nicht die anderen Teile ins Netz stellen. Vorallem die Vertonungen von "Lächeln, Atmen und Schreiten" und
" Der Gute Mensch" ich habe sie leider vor Jahren verloren und kann sie nirgends herkriegen.
Oh, Mensch-Lyrik klingt auf englisch komisch.
As far as i know, there are no translations into english from Franz Werfel.
But i need the other parts of this piece particularly "Lächeln, Atmen und Schreiten" und "Der gute Mensch".
I have lost it decades ago.
Is this on cd ?