Nietzsche - A Dancing Song to the Mistral Wind

A DANCING SONG TO THE MISTRAL WIND.

Wildly rushing, clouds outleaping,
Care-destroying, Heaven sweeping,
Mistral wind, thou art my friend!
Surely 'twas one womb did bear us,
Surely 'twas one fate did pair us,
Fellows for a common end.

From the crags I gaily greet you,
Running fast I come to meet you,
Dancing while you pipe and sing.
How you bound across the ocean,
Unimpeded, free in motion,
Swifter than with boat or wing!

Through my dreams your whistle sounded,
Down the rocky stairs I bounded
To the golden ocean wall;
Saw you hasten, swift and glorious,
Like a river, strong, victorious,
Tumbling in a waterfall.

Saw you rushing over Heaven,
With your steeds so wildly driven,
Saw the car in which you flew;
Saw the lash that wheeled and quivered,
While the hand that held it shivered,
Urging on the steeds anew.

Saw you from your chariot swinging,
So that swifter downward springing
Like an arrow you might go
Straight into the deep abysses,
As a sunbeam falls and kisses
Roses in the morning glow.

Dance, oh! dance on all the edges,
Wave-crests, cliffs and mountain ledges,
Ever finding dances new!
Let our knowledge be our gladness,
Let our art be sport and madness,
All that's joyful shall be true!

Let us snatch from every bower,
As we pass, the fairest flower,
With some leaves to make a crown;
Then, like minstrels gaily dancing,
Saint and witch together prancing,
Let us foot it up and down.

Those who come must move as quickly
As the wind--we'll have no sickly,
Crippled, withered, in our crew;
Off with hypocrites and preachers,
Proper folk and prosy teachers,
Sweep them from our heaven blue.

Sweep away all sad grimaces,
Whirl the dust into the faces
Of the dismal sick and cold!
Hunt them from our breezy places,
Not for them the wind that braces,
But for men of visage bold.

Off with those who spoil earth's gladness,
Blow away all clouds of sadness,
Till our heaven clear we see;
Let me hold thy hand, best fellow,
Till my joy like tempest bellow!
Freest thou of spirits free!

When thou partest, take a token
Of the joy thou hast awoken,
Take our wreath and fling it far;
Toss it up and catch it never,
Whirl it on before thee ever,
Till it reach the farthest star.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• nietzsche
• poetry
• gay
• science
• joyful
• wisdom
• librivox
• montage

[astronautenhelm]

It seems to be very difficult to translate poem in other language that it become similar rhymes... some words are far away from the german meaning.

[sheert]

@astronautenhelm That's one thing I have often wondered. I don't speak German and Nietzsche's writings are nuanced. Is Nietzsche right in saying: "It is neither the best nor the worst of a book that is untranslatable."

Can you point to one or two words that have changed in translation? Thx

[littleloverboy]

first time i hear a poem by nietzsche in english. i treasure them a lot in german. some of them are surely among the best written in german language in my opinion.

nice translation and well read indeed! greetings from germany!

[sheert]

@littleloverboy Thanks for the feedback! Nietzsche's poetry seems to be completely ignored in the England which is, according to Nietzsche, the low pole of philosophical ability! (in the Genealogy of Morals)

[Tehcarp]

@sheert 19th century England

[sheert]

@Tehcarp Have things changed much since then? Would Nietzsche have complimented any English philosopher of the 20th or 21st century? I guess he was mainly sniping at the utilitarians but we don't seem to have move on much.

[thalamay]

@thalamay Add to that the fact that some words in any particular language tend to have some kind of ambiguity. So even my more literal translation can't encapsulate that. For example, the part I translates as "sweeper of heavens" might as well be "racer through the sky" or anything in-between as both the German "Himmel" as well as "Feger" are ambiguous and the context would allow for either.

[thalamay]

Let me translate the first verse without regard to artistic value, but merely to content, then you can get an idea about the differences:

Mistral-Wind, you hunter of clouds,

murderer of misery, sweeper of heavens,

blusterer, how do I love you!

are the two of us not of one womb,

first gift of one lot,

predetermined eternally?

*Note, this is my personal translation and I don't claim perfection. It's merely intended to give people an idea how difficult it is to translate poetry.

[astronautenhelm]

It is a difference to translate a book or a poem. if you translate a book you don`t have the problems of the correct rhymes. If you try to translate a poem in another language you will become some problems to find the right word that rhymes.

That could be fall out on a wrong meaning.

That what you said about Nietzsches utterance ithink it`s right.

it doesn`t matter wich language you can translate.