Lance Brett Hall

Stories Make Meaning. How Do We Make Stories?

Poems for Advent/ Adventsgedichte: December 13th – “The Proverb”, by Ernst Stadler

Published

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,
That hit me like a blow and burned itself into my days:
And if I gave myself to nebulous desire
Instead of turning to my substance, lied, affected, and conspired,
If I betrayed myself with an obliging sentiment,
As if the dark were bright, as if a life were not a thousand
wild impediments,
Belied the words of mine whose scope was no concern
Pursuing things whose weight I’d never bothered to discern,
If welcome dreams had beckoned in kid gloves and velvet
With daylight and reality removed and separate,
The world estranged, my true self bound and tangled,
The word would stand in protest: Be substantial!

Der Spruch

In einem alten Buche stieß ich auf ein Wort,

Das traf mich wie ein Schlag und brennt durch meine Tage fort:

Und wenn ich mich an trübe Lust vergebe,

Schein, Lug und Spiel zu mir anstatt des Wesens hebe,

Wenn ich gefällig mich mit raschem Sinn belüge,

Als wäre Dunkles klar, als wenn nicht Leben tausend wild

verschlossne Tore trüge,

Und Worte wiederspreche, deren Weite nie ich ausgefühlt,

Und Dinge fasse, deren Sein mich niemals aufgewühlt,

Wenn mich willkommner Traum mit Sammethänden streicht,

Und Tag und Wirklichkeit von mir entweicht,

Der Welt entfremdet, fremd dem tiefsten Ich,

Dann steht das Wort mir auf: Mensch, werde wesentlich!

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“:

  1.  
    1. that which is special, characteristic of a thing, appearance, by which it distinguishes itself from others
    2. [philosophy] something which stamps the apparent form of a thing, lies at its core, and determines it (as a general inner principle)
  2. 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
  3.  
    1. something which exists, comes into being in a particular manner (often only thought, suggested)
    2. a human being (as a creature, animate being)