Thursday, February 02, 2006

My 'silent' poetry reading. (meme)

I'm hopping on the meme-wagon. The idea started at Grace's Poppies, but Chris's blog led me over to it!

OK - so this guy (Novalis) died in 1801, and I'm not using this for commercial gain. As far as I know, this is fair use. ;o)

Here goes. My favourite Novalis poem (that I couldn't find on-line yesterday)


"When numbers and figures no longer"

When numbers and figures no longer
Are keys to everything created,
When those who sing or kiss
Know more than the learned scholars,
When the world returns to a free life
And the whole world rewinds,
Then once more light and shadow will couple
To produce genuine clarity,
And people will recognize that the true histories of the world
Lie in fairy tales and poems,
Then at a single secret word
This whole wrongheaded existence will fly away.


und auf Deutsche (original)
"Wenn nicht mehr Zahlen und Figuren"

Wenn nicht mehr Zahlen und Figuren
Sind Schluessel aller Kreaturen,
Wenn die, so singen oder kuessen
Mehr als die Tiefgelehrten wissen,
Wenn sich die Welt ins freie Leben
Und in die Welt wird zurueckbegeben,
Wenn dann sich wieder Licht und Schatten
Zu echter Klarheit wieder gatten
Und man in Maerchen und Gedichten
Erkennt die waren Weltgeschichten,
Dann fliegt vor einem geheimen Wort
Das ganze verkehrte Wesen fort.

3 comments:

Chris said...

I like that. A lot. Talk about timeless!

RheLynn said...

Thanks ;o) I personally love the part about the fairy-tales being the true history of the world...

But wow, if he felt this way over 200 years ago... talk about 'yearning for the golden ages' ;o)

Chris said...

:)