A poem and translation for Advent: “The Proverb”, by Ernst Stadler (1883 – 1914)
Ein Gedicht und Übersetzung zum Advent: Der Spruch, von Ernst Stadler (1883 – 1914)
“The Proverb”
Inside an ancient book I came upon a phrase, |
Der Spruch
In einem alten Buche stieß ich auf ein Wort,
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Language Wonk Alert
This whole poem relies on the words Wesen (line 4) and its adjective form wesentlich (last line). I’ve translated them “substance” and “substantial”, which I think is good in context.
Wesen is one of those German words which seems simple enough. Wesentlich is fairly common in everyday German speech, but they’re a kind of philosophical rabbit hole. Translating it seems very dependent on context. Here’s a list of possible translations (one of them is “quiddity”!).
If you’re curious (and hey, you’ve read this far!), here’s my translation of how the Duden defines “Wesen“:
- that which is special, characteristic of a thing, appearance, by which it distinguishes itself from others
- [philosophy] something which stamps the apparent form of a thing, lies at its core, and determines it (as a general inner principle)
- sum of the spiritual qualities which characterize a person in a particular way in their actions, their way of living, their type of thinking and feeling and expressing themselves
- something which exists, comes into being in a particular manner (often only thought, suggested)
- a human being (as a creature, animate being)