Hello Max! I really enjoy your bold and direct translation. I'm old enough to sense that you are reviving if not redeeming the best of American beatnik poetry. I know German and I translated my CoS verses in the 80s. I still call it a "new American translation." I realized that it is impossible to translate these verses into American English except by smashing the "rocks" of the German words and sifting through the rubble.
I especially like this one 34 because it's the only one I can sing! How? Because in the 80s all my verses were set to choral music by the modern composer William Jay Sydeman (1928-2021). We performed them in 1992 in SF & Sacramento. 34 is the only one I remember.
It's so wonderful to discover you and your work with Steiner. Let's get in touch. (I discovered you this morning on Matt Segal's Zoom for Steiner's Astronomy course.)
thank you, Tom, for the kind words and for reaching out and sharing your translations. I no doubt encountered them in the past and thus their influence is almost certainly present, if tacitly, in my own attempts.
I appreciated your metaphor about smashing rocks. I have thought of it more along the lines of "smelting" through contemplation to the point that the now fluid essence can be cast in a new mould.
I don't feel any personal connection to the beatniks, though perhaps I drank from the same well. Instead I try to allow myself to be influenced by the likes of Homer, Keats, and Shakespeare.
That's a very exciting thought: to image putting the verses to song. I love to sing, but it's mostly to Led Zeppelin and Beatles numbers, among others.
My "beatnik" reference has to do with my sense of your openness to craft the translation beyond the actual sound values of the German words in order to focus on the meaning. Let me explain this in anthroposophical terms.
For this, I reference this lecture from the Gospel of Luke cycle.
"Words have their organ in the sound-ether; our thoughts underlie our words; words are forms of expression for thoughts. These forms of expression fill etheric space inasmuch as they send their vibrations through the sound-ether; ‘tone’ or ‘sound’ is only the shadow of the actual thought-vibrations. The inner essence of all our thoughts, that which endows our thoughts with meaning (Sinn), actually belongs; in respect of its etheric nature, to the life-ether itself."
----------
In the German language, the Sound ether predominates. That's why Steiner insisted that the tone was more important than the meaning of the words. That's why eurythmy could only be given in the German language.
So Steiner in German is like a sculptor fashioning forms out of "tone-rocks." However, our experience in English, especially in modern American English is the Life-Ether, which can also be called the "Meaning Ether."
When you read other English translations, they strive to imitate the way Steiner did it in German. That's impossible because we experience English as an expression of the Life Ether, while German expresses the Tone-Ether.
In German, the meaning is protected within the fortress-form of the sound. In English that protection his not there. In English, the meaning depends on the context. It has no more connection with the tones of the words.
I just now figured out that TM stood for your initials. I hope you don't mind I quoted it, via Steve Hale. And this is all thanks to Max's posts (and thank you Max!)
All of Tom's verses are readily available in the public domain of the RS Archive. This one (34) draws particular attention to our subject over at TOOJ.
Hello Max! I really enjoy your bold and direct translation. I'm old enough to sense that you are reviving if not redeeming the best of American beatnik poetry. I know German and I translated my CoS verses in the 80s. I still call it a "new American translation." I realized that it is impossible to translate these verses into American English except by smashing the "rocks" of the German words and sifting through the rubble.
I offer you my set of 52 on the RS Archive
https://rsarchive.org/Articles/GA040/English/TM2023/index.html
I especially like this one 34 because it's the only one I can sing! How? Because in the 80s all my verses were set to choral music by the modern composer William Jay Sydeman (1928-2021). We performed them in 1992 in SF & Sacramento. 34 is the only one I remember.
It's so wonderful to discover you and your work with Steiner. Let's get in touch. (I discovered you this morning on Matt Segal's Zoom for Steiner's Astronomy course.)
Best regards,
Tom Mellett
Van Nuys, CA
thank you, Tom, for the kind words and for reaching out and sharing your translations. I no doubt encountered them in the past and thus their influence is almost certainly present, if tacitly, in my own attempts.
I appreciated your metaphor about smashing rocks. I have thought of it more along the lines of "smelting" through contemplation to the point that the now fluid essence can be cast in a new mould.
I don't feel any personal connection to the beatniks, though perhaps I drank from the same well. Instead I try to allow myself to be influenced by the likes of Homer, Keats, and Shakespeare.
That's a very exciting thought: to image putting the verses to song. I love to sing, but it's mostly to Led Zeppelin and Beatles numbers, among others.
warmly,
Max
Anchorage, AK
Hello Max,
My "beatnik" reference has to do with my sense of your openness to craft the translation beyond the actual sound values of the German words in order to focus on the meaning. Let me explain this in anthroposophical terms.
For this, I reference this lecture from the Gospel of Luke cycle.
https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA114/English/RSP1964/19090921p01.html
----------------------
"Words have their organ in the sound-ether; our thoughts underlie our words; words are forms of expression for thoughts. These forms of expression fill etheric space inasmuch as they send their vibrations through the sound-ether; ‘tone’ or ‘sound’ is only the shadow of the actual thought-vibrations. The inner essence of all our thoughts, that which endows our thoughts with meaning (Sinn), actually belongs; in respect of its etheric nature, to the life-ether itself."
----------
In the German language, the Sound ether predominates. That's why Steiner insisted that the tone was more important than the meaning of the words. That's why eurythmy could only be given in the German language.
So Steiner in German is like a sculptor fashioning forms out of "tone-rocks." However, our experience in English, especially in modern American English is the Life-Ether, which can also be called the "Meaning Ether."
When you read other English translations, they strive to imitate the way Steiner did it in German. That's impossible because we experience English as an expression of the Life Ether, while German expresses the Tone-Ether.
In German, the meaning is protected within the fortress-form of the sound. In English that protection his not there. In English, the meaning depends on the context. It has no more connection with the tones of the words.
I can say much more about it, but I'll end here.
Tom, your suggestions are riveting and I eagerly await to hear more.
https://open.substack.com/pub/timeoutofjoint/p/repost-time-dysfunctions?r=2kbdzg&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=44537287
I just now figured out that TM stood for your initials. I hope you don't mind I quoted it, via Steve Hale. And this is all thanks to Max's posts (and thank you Max!)
All of Tom's verses are readily available in the public domain of the RS Archive. This one (34) draws particular attention to our subject over at TOOJ.