A day late, but here is my favorite Wednesday poem, which I was reading again yesterday. The last three lines summarize the intentions of this blog. Reading German is a struggle for me, but with this poet the struggle is worth it.
Im Lesesaal
Mittwochs
gehe ich in die Staatsbibliothek
die Bücher liegen schon für mich bereit
vom letzten Mittwoch
Es sind immer dieselben Bücher
ich schlage sie auf aber lese nicht darin
ich beobachte die andern die lesen aber
mittwochs liest niemand mittwochs
beobachten die da zum Lesen gekommen sind
alle die andern die zum Lesen gekommen sind
Mittwochs lesen die Leute in Gesichtern
nicht in Büchern
Mittwochs
Horst Bienek (*7.Mai 1930 in Gleiwitz, † 7.Dezember 1990 in München/Bayern),
Wer antwortet wem. München, Wien: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1991. And my translation:
In the Reading Room
Wednesdays
I go to the public library
the books lie already in place for me
from last Wednesday
They're always the same books
I turn the pages but I don't read them
I look at the others who are reading but
on Wednesdays nobody reads Wednesdays
those who have come here to read
look at the others who have come here to read
Wednesdays the people read faces
not books
Wednesdays
Had Bienek lived, he would have been 75 this year. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, Horst! Bei mir deine Gedichte noch hallen.
2 comments:
Geoffrey,
True many of the comments in your section come from Spambotlandia - don't be discouraged, there are many of us who read your blog frequently.
Thank You for pointing us towards interesting books, poems and plays - and for giving us a little tiny peak at you and your interests.
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