johann wolfgang von goethe proverbs · goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of german...

52
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS Edited and translated by Robert B. Sowby

Upload: hathu

Post on 10-Dec-2018

238 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

PROVERBS

Edited and translated by

Robert B. Sowby

Page 2: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Proverbs

Edited and translated by Robert B. Sowby

First digital edition

ISBN 978-1-304-65202-7

© 2014 Robert B. Sowby

Some rights reserved

This digital edition is provided free of charge by the author.

Permission is hereby granted to copy, reproduce, and/or distribute

this edition:

with this copyright page;

without alteration;

in print and/or electronic formats;

for noncommercial personal, public, and/or educational

use; and

either in its original entirety or with proper attribution for

selected portions.

Any use not outlined above must receive written consent from the

author.

www.goetheproverbs.org

Page 3: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments i

Preface iii

Goethe, Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1828 vii

A Note on the Text ix

Proverbs 1

Bibliography 37

Page 4: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

t is a pleasure for me to acknowledge others’ roles in this

project. Christie Sowby deserves credit for the idea, as well as

for ongoing support and advice. I thank the German faculty of

Brigham Young University: Hans-Wilhelm Kelling, who guided

my initial survey of Goethe’s works as an undergraduate;

Michelle James, who mentored me in similar research projects;

Rob McFarland, who cultivated my love of German history and

literature; and also Tom Spencer, Randall Lund, and Laura Smith.

I recognize Tim McFarlane, Gregg Girvan, Erich Kopischke, and

other colleagues for their support during my time in Berlin and

for continued inspiration thereafter.

I

Page 5: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

ii

Page 6: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

iii

PREFACE

hat are you reading?”

Asked frequently by my friends and family, the

question has been the impetus for this project. “Goethe” is the

short answer, and though their blank expression reveals that they

don’t know who or what Goethe is, a more complete explanation

is not solicited and the conversation ends there.

Yet it is hard not to mention that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

is the seminal figure of German literature. Born in 1749, Goethe

lived a long, rich, and emotionally charged life until his death at

age 82. From The Sorrows of Young Werther, the breakthrough novel

that established Goethe as a Romantic hero by age 25, to Faust, the

sprawling masterpiece he worked on all his life, his shadow has

fallen on every German writer since. Goethe was one of the last

great Renaissance men, a polymath whose reputations as

statesman, artist, philosopher, and naturalist almost equaled his

mastery of every literary genre.

W

Page 7: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

PREFACE

iv

But it is in poetry where Goethe is at his best. Some say he

wrote poetry much like others fill in calendars or diaries, though I

suspect the process was less perfunctory. Whatever his method,

Goethe’s poetry is well known to the German-speaking world.

Poems like “Wilkommen und Abschied,” “Heidenröslein,” and

“Erlkönig” are familiar to German children and scholars alike. The

same are even known to musicians worldwide, thanks to Schubert

and other composers whose Lieder (art songs) introduced Goethe

into the musical repertoire. Distilling “the very marrow of his

genius”1 into poetry, Goethe showed what the German language

could be.

The several English versions of Goethe’s major works,

including many popular poems, testify of their literary

significance. Yet even after two centuries, most of his poetry

remains inaccessible to English speakers, though for good reason.

Goethe’s poems were not popular among nineteenth-century

English critics and only in modern times achieved literary status

like that of Faust. Further, Goethe’s smaller poems, as “numerous

as the sands of the sea”2 and many of which are only two lines

long, are dwarfed by his larger works and therefore evade

translation. Finally there is the linguistic challenge. As one critic

observed, “the frontiers of language, notoriously, are the hardest

for poetry to cross. […] Goethe at his most poetic [is] also, by

definition, Goethe at his most untranslatable.”3 Considering the

barriers, some English speakers have had no occasion to engage

Goethe’s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language,

culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions.

One genre in particular that deserves more attention is the

proverbs. By these I mean the so-called rhyming maxims,

aphorisms, or sayings (Sprüche in Versen, Sprüche in Reimen),

rather than the prosaic ones (Sprüche in Prosa) which constitute

Page 8: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

PREFACE

v

Maximen und Reflexionen and other collections.4 I call them

proverbs for their concise moral lessons as well as to distinguish

them from the non-rhyming set. The proverbs are brief—often

two or four lines—but can contain as much substance as any other

Goethean composition.

For the purpose of making a portion of Goethe more

accessible, I have undertaken in this book a selective translation of

the proverbs. I do this well aware of T.S. Eliot’s warning that a

collection of translated poetry “will attract all those meticulous

little critics who delight in finding what seem to them mis-

translations.”5 So be it. These are translations, not replications.

While isolated English versions do exist elsewhere, I am not aware

of any other single volume dedicated to the proverbs’ English

translation.

Originally scattered among numerous Goethean texts as

epigrams and ancillary material, the proverbs have since been

compiled into their own genre. They touch several categories,

including nature, God, human relationships, wit, life lessons,

politics, and autobiography. Their origins are sundry; it is not

obvious which expressions are exclusively Goethe’s and which

ones he gathered, transcribed, or reformed from other sources.

Many arose from lectures, diary entries, and incidental

compositions. Some appear inchoate in his earlier writings. We

also know he was a frequent reader of proverb anthologies and a

keen observer of folk speech. In any case, the proverbs are a

product of Goethe’s later years, when he had a tendency for

didacticism, having experienced enough of life to learn its lessons

and possessing the literary capacity to articulate them.

It is difficult to find, much less create, a single translation that

conveys all the richness and profundity of Goethe’s poetry. Since

simultaneously maintaining the original meter, rhyme, meaning,

Page 9: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

PREFACE

vi

tone, and style in translation is impossible, concessions are

inevitable. Some translators focus on semantic and syntactic

accuracy and, by no fault of their own, exclude style and artistry.

In translating I have necessarily made certain compromises, thus

some readers familiar with the German text may find my

translations to be more liberal than literal. Since proverbs are

concise didactic statements intended to be impressed upon the

reader’s mind, to preserve the impression I often favor certain

rhetorical elements such as rhyme at the expense of more accurate

but less memorable word-for-word translations.

I contribute my own poetic translations to the several existing

prose translations and hope that they will help readers enjoy

Goethe’s wisdom and craft beyond the original language.

Rob Sowby

Cottonwood Heights, Utah

April 2014

1. Luke, xvii

2. Luke, xvii–xviii

3. Simmons, 21; Luke, xvii

4. Trunz, 683

5. Qtd. in Parks

Page 10: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

vii

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1828

Page 11: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

viii

Page 12: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

ix

A NOTE ON THE TEXT

he subject of this book is the selective translation of Goethe’s

so-called rhyming proverbs, maxims, aphorisms, or sayings

(Sprüche in Versen, Sprüche in Reimen). The German text, which

appears in italics, was taken from the Hamburger Ausgabe

(Trunz, 304–337) where available. The numbered translations

correspond to entries therein and are presented here in the same

order, omissions notwithstanding. The few unnumbered

inclusions at the end are found in other sources listed in the

bibliography. Page breaks have been arranged so as to keep both

German and English texts on the same page.

T

Page 13: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre
Page 14: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

1

PROVERBS

(1) In wenig Stunden

Hat Gott das Rechte gefunden.

In little time

Has God found the sublime.

(2) Ich wandle auf weiter bunter Flur

Ursprünglicher Natur,

Ein holder Born, in welchem ich bade,

Ist Überlieferung, ist Gnade.

I walk on colored, broad terrain,

An ancient natural plain.

A spring I wash in at this place

Is pure belief, is grace.

Page 15: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

2

(3) Wie? Wann? und wo?—Die Götter bleiben stumm!

Du halte dich ans Weil und frage nicht Warum?

How? When? and Where?—The gods do not reply!

You always say Because, but never get to Why.

(4) Willst du ins Unendliche schreiten,

Geh nur im Endlichen nach allen Seiten.

If you toward infinity would stride,

Explore the finite on every side.

(5) Willst du dich am Ganzen erquicken,

So mußt du das Ganze im Kleinsten erblicken.

He who would refresh himself in full,

Must in the smallest things perceive the whole.

(6) Aus tiefem Gemüt, aus der Mutter Schoß

Will manches dem Tage entgegen;

Doch soll das Kleine je werden groß,

So muß es sich rühren und regen.

In mother’s lap, in comfort’s glow,

The child his life would make;

Yet if to man he e’er shall grow,

The child must stir and wake.

Page 16: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

3

(7) Da, wo das Wasser sich entzweit,

Wird zuerst Lebendig’s befreit.

There the waters separate,

Living things to liberate.

(8) Und wird das Wasser sich entfalten,

Sogleich wird sich’s lebendig gestalten;

Da wälzen sich Tiere, sie trocknen zum Flor,

Und Pflanzengezweige sie dringen hervor.

And should the water thus unfold,

It will appear to be alive;

Creatures rise, decay to blooms,

And sprouting branches grow and thrive.

(9) Durchsichtig erscheint die Luft so rein

Und trägt im Busen Stahl und Stein.

Entzündet werden sie sich begegnen;

Da wird’s Metall und Steine regnen.

The air appears transparent, pure;

Within its bosom, steel and stone.

Ignited, they will meet and clash,

With sparks of rock and metal flown.

Page 17: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

4

(10) Denn was das Feuer lebendig erfaßt,

Bleibt nicht mehr Unform und Erdenlast;

Verflüchtigt wird es und unsichtbar,

Eilt hinauf, wo erst sein Anfang war.

For what the living fire grips

Is no more raw nor bound to Earth,

But vaporized, invisible,

Ascends to where it had its birth.

(11) Und so kommt wieder zur Erde herab,

Dem die Erde den Ursprung gab.

Gleicherweise sind wir auch gezüchtigt,

Einmal gefestet, einmal verflüchtigt.

Then descends to Earth again

That which Earth made first and present,

Likewise are we also chastened,

Permanent, then evanescent.

(12) Und wer durch alle die Elemente

Feuer, Luft, Wasser und Erde rennte,

Der Wird zuletzt sich überzeugen,

Er sei kein Wesen ihresgleichen.

Thus he who tracks the elements

Will ultimately understand:

Through water, fire, air, and earth,

There is no creature quite like man.

Page 18: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

5

(16) „Magnetes Geheimnis, erkläre mir das!”

Kein größer Geheimnis als Lieb’ und Haß.

Explain to me, dear muse, I know not of

A greater mystery than hate and love.

(18) Und so sag’ ich zum letzten Male:

Natur hat weder Kern noch Schale;

Du prüfe dich nur allermeist,

Ob du Kern oder Schale seist!

Thus I’ll have the final say:

That nature has not seed nor shell;

Prove thyself, then, on thy way,

If seed or shell thou art, ‘tis well.

(19) Wer Gott vertraut,

Ist schon auferbaut.

He who doth in God confide

Is richly blessed and edified.

(20) Wer Gott ahnet, ist hoch zu halten,

Denn er wird nie im Schlechten walten.

He who honors God is strong,

For he will never rule wrong.

Page 19: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

6

(21) Warum uns Gott so wohl gefällt?

Weil er sich uns nie in den Weg stellt.

Why do we love God, you say?

Because he ne’er gets in our way.

(22) Gott hat die Gradheit selbst ans Herz genommen,

Auf gradem Weg ist niemand umgekommen.

God has straightness in his heart;

From straight paths no one can depart.

(23) Der Mensch erfährt, er sei auch, wer er mag,

Ein letztes Glück und einen letzten Tag.

A man will so earn, be then, who he may,

A final fortune and a final day.

(24) Nichts vom Vergänglichen,

Wie’s auch geschah!

Uns zu verewigen

Sind wir ja da.

Nothing of the transitory,

Though it seems from birth:

To prepare for life eternal

Are we here on Earth.

Page 20: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

7

(25) Halte dich nur im stillen rein

Und laß es um dich wetttern;

Je mehr du fühlst ein Mensch zu sein,

Desto ähnlicher bist du den Göttern.

Keep yourself in silence pure

And let it rage abroad;

The more you feel human,

The more you’re like a god.

(26) Ja, das ist das rechte Gleis,

Daß man nicht weiß,

Was man denkt,

Wenn man denkt;

Alles ist als wie geschenkt.

It is our lot

That man knows not

How he thinks

When he thinks,

As if he were given thought.

Page 21: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

8

(27) Ich weiß, daß mir nichts angehört

Als der Gedanke, der ungestört

Aus meiner Seele will fließen,

Und jeder günstige Augenblick,

Den mich ein liebendes Geschick

Von Grund aus läßt genießen.

I know nothing belongs to me

Except my thoughts, which constantly

Now wish to flow out of my soul,

And every moment opportune,

Which providence, the loving boon,

Allows me to enjoy in full.

(28) Erkenne dich!—Was soll das heißen?

Es heißt: sei nur! und sei auch nicht!

Es ist eben ein Spruch der lieben Weisen,

Der sich in Kürze widerspricht.

“Know thyself!”—What that implies?

It means: Be thus! And: Thus not be!

A chosen saying of the wise,

It swiftly turns to irony.

Page 22: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

9

(29) Niemand wird sich selber kennen,

Sich von seinem Selbst-Ich trennen;

Doch probier’ er jeden Tag,

Was nach außen endlich klar,

Was er ist und was er war,

Was er kann und was er mag.

No one really knows himself

Nor parts his ego from himself;

Let him learn then, day by day,

His final, clear, and outward cause,

What he is and what he was,

What he can and what he may.

(30) Liegt dir Gestern klar und offen,

Wirkst du heute kräftig frei,

Kannst auch auf ein Morgen hoffen,

Das nicht minder glücklich sei.

Yesterday is now behind,

So work today with might;

On the morrow you shall find

A day that’s glad and bright.

Page 23: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

10

(34) Ihr sucht die Menschen zu benennen

Und glaubt am Namen sie zu kennen.

Wer tiefer sieht, gesteht sich frei:

Es ist was Anonymes dabei.

You seek to name all whom you can,

And, by a name, to know a man.

Look but deeper, you’ll confess:

A name is but a hollow guess.

(36) Das Alter

Das Alter ist ein höflich Mann:

Einmal übers andre klopft er an,

Aber nun sagt niemand: Herein!

Und vor der Türe will er nicht sein.

Da klinkt er auf, tritt ein so schnell,

Und nun heißt’s, er sei ein grober Gesell.

Age

Age is youthful and polite:

He knocks and waits and knocks again,

But no one says to him: Come in!

So he waits out there every night,

Then lets himself in, swift and bold,

And now we say he’s rude and old.

Page 24: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

11

(39) Wo Anmaßung mir wohlgefällt?

An Kindern: denen gehört die Welt.

Where don’t I mind pretentious airs?

In children, for the world is theirs.

(42) Mir gäb’ es keine größre Pein,

Wär’ ich im Paradies allein.

I cannot contemplate a thing less nice

Than to be all alone in paradise.

(43) Ich träumt’ und liebte sonnenklar;

Daß ich lebte, ward ich gewahr.

I dreamed and there my love did thrive,

Then realized I was alive.

(44) Wer Recht will tun, immer und mit Lust,

Der hege wahre Lieb’ in Sinn und Brust.

Who would do right, be ever kind,

Must hold true love in heart and mind.

Page 25: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

12

(45) Wann magst du dich am liebsten bücken?

Dem Liebchen Frühlingsblume zu pflücken.

Why would you stoop down to your toes?

To pick your love a springtime rose.

(46) Doch das ist gar kein groß Verdienst,

Denn Liebe bleibt der höchste Gewinst.

But that is nothing all that wise,

For love remains the greatest prize.

(54) Es ließe sich alles trefflich slichten,

Könnte man die Sachen zweimal verrichten.

Everything would be so nice

If only one could do things twice.

Page 26: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

13

(56) Memento

Mußt nicht widerstehen dem Schicksal,

Aber mußt es auch nicht fliehen!

Wirst du ihm entgegengehen,

Wird’s dich freundlich nach sich ziehen.

Memento

Your destiny you cannot fight,

And also from it must not flee!

It will greet you, kind and right,

If you approach it gradually.

(57) Du sehnst dich, weit hinaus zu wandern,

Bereitest dich zu raschem Flug;

Dir selbst sei treu und treu den andern,

Dann ist die Enge weit genug.

You long to wander far and broad,

For sudden flight prepare;

To others and yourself be true,

Then far and broad is everywhere.

Page 27: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

14

(58) Wer mit dem Leben spielt,

Kommt nie zurecht;

Wer sich nicht selbst befielt,

Bleibt immer ein Knecht.

A fool who plays his life away

Knows not how to behave;

A man who does not rule himself

Forever stays a slave.

(59) Jedem redlichen Bemühn

Sei Beharrlichkeit verliehn!

To the honest, true endeavor

Be steadfastness granted ever!

(60) Jeder Weg zum rechten Zwecke

Ist auch recht in jeder Strecke.

Each path to a noble end

Is also noble ‘round each bend.

(61) Tu nur das Rechte in deinen Sachen;

Das andre wird sich von selber machen.

Do what’s right in thine own way;

Let the world do what it may.

Page 28: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

15

(62) Hast du es so lange wie ich getrieben,

Versuche wie ich das Leben zu lieben.

If you’ve survived as long as me,

Try to love life—that’s the key.

(63) Von heiligen Männern und von weisen

Ließ’ ich mich recht gern unterweisen,

Aber es müßte kurz geschehn,

Langes Reden will mir nicht anstehen.

Wornach soll man am Ende trachten?

Die Welt zu kennen und sie nicht verachten.

From all the wise and holy men

I learn and listen willingly.

But soon it is too much and then

Their lengthy talk will tire me.

What should one seek, and thus be wise?

To love the world, and not despise.

(64) Verweile nicht und sei dir selbst ein Traum,

Und wie du reisest, danke jedem Raum,

Bequeme dich dem Heißen wie dem Kalten;

Dir wird die Welt, du wirst ihr nie veralten.

Live your dream and tarry not,

And as you roam, thank every stage,

Enjoy the cold and also hot;

Then to the world, you’ll never age.

Page 29: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

16

(65) Wenn du hast, das ist wohl schön,

Doch du mußt es auch verstehn.

Können, das ist große Sache,

Damit das Wollen etwas mache.

If you know it, that is well,

Yet you must understand it, too.

Ability is best of all,

That we, by knowing, then must do.

(66) Zwischen heut und morgen

Liegt eine lange Frist;

Lerne schnell besorgen,

Da du noch munter bist.

Between tomorrow and today

Is but a long delay;

Learn quickly to provide,

Before your wit is tried.

(67) Nichts taugt Ungeduld,

Noch weniger Reue;

Jene vermehrt die Schuld,

Diese schafft neue.

Impatience bringeth naught;

Regret, even less.

So let both be forgot:

They only make a mess.

Page 30: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

17

(68) Das Rechte, das ich viel getan,

Das ficht mich nun nicht weiter an,

Aber das falsche, das mir entschlüpft,

Wie ein Gespenst mir vor Augen hüpft.

All the right I’ve ever done

Does not bother me, no, none.

But all my wrongs, I realize,

They dance like ghosts before mine eyes.

(70) Das Beste

Wenn dir’s im Kopf und Herzen schwirrt,

Was willst du Beßres haben!

Wer nicht mehr liebt und nicht mehr irrt,

Der lasse sich begraben.

Nothing Better

There’s nothing better than confusion

In your heart and head!

Who no more loves and no more errs

Might as well be dead.

Page 31: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

18

(71) Daß von diesem wilden Sehnen,

Dieser reichen Saat von Tränen

Götterlust zu hoffen sei,

Mache deine Seele frei!

That from this wild yearning,

This tearful drudgery,

‘Tis godliness we’re learning,

Set thy spirit free!

(72) Nur wenn das Herz erschlossen,

Dann ist die Erde schön.

Du standest so verdrossen

Und wußtest nicht zu sehn.

Only when the heart is full,

Then is the world free.

You stood by and looked so dull

And did not want to see.

(73) Ein Mann, der Tränen streng entwöhnt,

Mag sich ein Held erscheinen;

Doch wenn’s im Innern sehnt und dröhnt,

Geb’ ihm ein Gott—zu weinen.

A man who’s long been weaned from tears

A hero to himself appears;

But when he yearns and suffers deep,

God give him the strength to weep.

Page 32: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

19

(76) Wer lebenslang dir wohlgetan,

Verletzung rechne dem nicht an.

If a lifelong friend has shown good sense,

Then to him attribute no offense.

(77) Wie fruchtbar ist der kleinste Kreis,

Wenn man ihn wohl zu pflegen weiß.

The smallest garden plot will flourish

When one knows well how to nourish.

(78) Lieb’ und Leidenschaft können verfliegen,

Wohlwollen aber wird ewig siegen.

Love and passion both may flee,

But goodwill wins eternally.

(79) Glaube nur, du hast viel getan,

Wenn dir Geduld gewöhnest an.

You have accomplished something great

If patience is your strongest trait.

Page 33: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

20

(80) Nicht größern Vorteil wüßt’ ich zu nennen,

Als des Feindes Verdienst erkennen.

There is no better gain I could concede

Than to recognize a foe’s good deed.

(81) Oft, wenn dir jeder Trost entflieht,

Mußt du im stillen dich bequemen.

Nur dann, wenn dir Gewalt geschieht,

Wird die Menge an dir Anteil nehmen;

Ums Unrecht, daß dir widerfährt,

Kein Mensch den Blick zur Seite kehrt.

When every other solace flees,

Silently console thy grief.

Will anyone thy sorrows ease,

Commiserate, or grant relief?

For the wrongs which still befall,

No one seems to care at all.

Page 34: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

21

(82) Keins von allen

Wenn du dich selber machst zum Knecht,

Bedauert dich niemand, geht’s dir schlecht;

Machst du dich aber selbst zum Herrn,

Die Leute sehn es auch nicht gern;

Und bleibst du endlich, wie du bist,

So sagen sie, daß nichts an dir ist.

None of All

Make yourself a simple slave,

And none laments your chosen state.

Make yourself a lofty lord,

And soon you’re asked to abdicate.

So you stay just as you are,

And then they say you’re nothing great.

(84) Alles in der Welt läßt sich ertragen,

Nur nicht eine Reihe von schönen Tagen.

All things in the world can be withstood

Except a string of days sublime and good.

Page 35: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

22

(86) Soll dich das Alter nicht verneinen,

So mußt du es gut mit andern meinen;

Mußt viele fördern, manchem nützen,

Das wird dich vor Vernichtung beschützen.

Should age ne’er get the best of you,

You must mean well with others, too;

Support them, help them, give instruction—

That will save you from destruction.

(89) Ohne Umschweife

Begreife,

Was dich mit der Welt entzweit;

Nicht will sie Gemüt, will Höflichkeit.

Without digression

Resolve the question,

What your issue with the world might be;

She wants no temperament, just courtesy.

Page 36: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

23

(90) Meine Wahl

Ich liebe mir den heitern Mann

Am meisten unter Gästen:

Wer sich nicht selbst zum besten haben kann,

Der ist gewiß nicht von den Besten.

My Choice

I like best the cheerful chap,

He is my favorite guest:

Who has not the best of himself

Is surely not among the best.

(97) Sie glauben miteinander zu streiten

Und fühlen das Unrecht von beiden Seiten.

Both will quarrel out of pride

And feel injustice on each side.

Page 37: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

24

(98) Lebensregel

Willst du dir ein hübsch Leben zimmern,

Mußt dich ums Vergangne nicht bekümmern;

Das Wenigste muß dich verdrießen;

Mußt stets die Gegenwart genießen,

Besonders keinen Menschen hassen

Und die Zukunft Gott überlassen.

The Rule of Life

To craft yourself a pleasant life,

You mustn’t worry o’er past strife;

Must focus on the nobler things;

Enjoy the gifts the present brings;

Love thy neighbor; speak no ill;

And leave the future to God’s will.

(102) Ein reiner Reim wird wohl begehrt,

Doch den Gedanken rein zu haben,

Die edelste von allen Gaben,

Das ist mir alle Reime wert.

A perfect rhyme is much desired,

But to have a perfect thought,

The noblest gift which can be sought,

Is worth all rhymes to be inspired.

Page 38: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

25

(113) „Du kommst nicht ins Ideenland!”

So bin ich doch am Ufer bekannt.

Wer die Insel nicht zu erobern glaubt,

Dem ist Ankerwerfen doch wohl erlaubt.

“You can’t come on our perfect island!”

Yet I can see its shores and highland.

Who does not intend to conquer

Still may freely cast his anchor.

(117) Demut

Seh’ ich die Werke der Meister an,

So seh’ ich das, was sie getan;

Betracht’ ich meine Siebensachen,

Seh ich, was ich hätt’ sollen machen.

Humility

When I behold the masters’ trade,

I see what their skill has made;

My odds and ends, which I thought smart,

Are not fit to be called art.

Page 39: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

26

(124) „So widerstrebe! Das wird dich adeln;

Willst vor der Feierstunde schon ruhn?”

Ich bin zu alt, um etwas zu tadeln,

Doch immer jung genug, etwas zu tun.

“Resist! That will ennoble you;

Before retirement you want to rest?”

I am too old to criticize,

But always young enough to do my best.

(128) All unser redlichstes Bemühn

Glückt nur im unbewußten Momente.

Wie möchte denn die Rose blühn,

Wenn sie der Sonne Herrlichkeit erkennte!

In only unexpected moments,

All our honest effort won.

Oh, how the rose would like to bloom

Each time it felt the sun!

(135) Was im Leben uns verdrießt,

Man im Bilde gern genießt.

The things in life which now annoy,

When seen in pictures, we enjoy.

Page 40: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

27

(139) Jüngling, merke dir, in Zeiten

Wo sich Geist und Sinn erhöht:

Daß die Muse zu begleiten,

Doch zu leiten nicht versteht.

In elevated soul and mind,

Listen, lad, and heed:

The muse only accompanies,

But knows not how to lead.

(140) Weite Welt und breites Leben,

Langer Jahre redlich Streben,

Stets geforscht und stets gegründet,

Nie geschlossen, oft geründet,

Ältestes bewahrt mit Treue,

Freundlich aufgefaßtes Neue,

Heitern Sinn und reine Zwecke:

Nun! man kommt wohl eine Strecke.

Spacious world and broadest life,

Many years of honest quest,

Ever probed and ever fathomed,

Never closed, and often blest,

Age preserved by loyalty,

Fresh and friendly every day,

Cheerful wits and pure intents:

There! one comes well on his way.

Page 41: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

28

(141) Das Tüchtige, und wenn auch falsch,

Wirkt Tag für Tag, von Haus zu Haus;

Das Tüchtige, wenn’s wahrhaft ist,

Wirk über alle Zeiten hinaus.

Ability, though fake or new,

Works day to day, and door to door;

Ability, sincere and true,

Works here and now, and evermore.

(143) Ihrer viele wissen viel,

Von der Weisheit sind sie weit entfernt.

Andre Leute sind euch ein Spiel;

Sich selbst hat niemand ausgelernt.

Your many claim to know so much,

But wisdom they have yet to earn.

Others are a game to you;

No one can himself outlearn.

(144) Wie sind die Vielen doch beflissen!

Und es verwirrt sie nur der Fleiß.

Sie möchten’s gerne anders wissen

Als einer, der das Rechte weiß.

So many are so ever busy,

Confused by zeal and always stressed!

They like to see it differently

Than one who simply knows what’s best.

Page 42: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

29

(145) Spruch, Widerspruch

Ihr müßt mich nicht durch Widerspruch verwirren!

Sobald man spricht, beginnt man schon zu irren.

Diction, Contradiction

You mustn’t contradict me; it’s not fair!

As soon as one speaks, one begins to err.

(148) „Wie hast du’s denn so weit gebracht?

Sie sagen, du habest es gut vollbracht!”—

Mein Kind! ich hab’ es klug gemacht,

Ich habe nie über das Denken gedacht.

“How did you get your start?

They say that you were smart!”

My lad, I’ve been well taught;

I never gave it thought.

(154) Das mußt du als ein Knabe leiden,

Daß dich die Schule tüchtig reckt.

Die alten Sprachen sind die Scheiden,

Darin das Messer des Geistes steckt.

You must endure it as a lad,

That your schooling rightly tests.

The ancient languages are sheaths

In which the sword of spirit rests.

Page 43: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

30

(155) Entzwei’ und gebiete! Tüchtig Wort;

Verein’ und leite! Beßrer Hort.

Divide and conquer!—Brave demand.

Unite and lead!—The best command.

(156) Manches Herrliche der Welt

Ist in Krieg und Streit zerronnen.

Wer beschützet und erhält,

Hat das schönste Los gewonnen.

Many splendid things in life

Melt away in war and strife.

He who will protect, sustain,

Has thereby the most to gain.

(157) Mit einem Herren steht es gut,

Der, was er befohlen, selber tut.

A man we cannot reprimand

Who carries out his own command.

Page 44: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

31

(158) Ich kann mich nicht betören lassen,

Macht euren Gegner nur nicht klein;

Ein Kerl, den alle Menschen hassen,

Der muß was sein.

I’ll be fooled by few surprises,

Though there be contention;

A fellow everyone despises

Must deserve attention.

(159) Wenn auch der Held sich selbst genug ist,

Verbunden geht es doch geschwinder;

Und wenn der Überwundne klug ist,

Gestellt er sich zum Überwinder.

Though one hero may suffice,

We unite our best defenders.

A conquered foe who still is wise

Then willingly surrenders.

Page 45: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

32

(163) Egalité

Das Größte will man nicht erreichen,

Man beneidet nur seinesgleichen;

Der schlimmste Neidhart ist in der Welt,

Der jeden für seinesgleichen hält.

Equality

The greatest no one tries to find;

One only envies his own kind.

The worst: The world’s jealous people,

Who think the great to be their equal.

(167) Den 1. Januar 1814

Daß du die gute Sache liebst,

Das ist nicht zu vermeiden,

Doch von der Schlimmsten ist sie nicht

Bis jetzt zu unterscheiden.

January 1, 1814

That you might love something good

Is not incredible.

Yet to discern it from the bad

Is not yet possible.

Page 46: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

33

(174) Bürgerpflicht

Ein jeder kehre vor seiner Tür,

Und rein ist jedes Stadtquartier.

Ein jeder übe sein’ Lektion,

So wird es gut im Rate stohn.

Civic Duty

Let every man sweep by his door,

And every city street is pure.

Let every man his duty mind,

And all the town is strong and kind.

(187) Sonst: wie die Alten sungen,

So zwitscherten die Jungen;

Jetzt: wie die Jungen singen,

Soll’s bei den Alten klingen.

Bei solchem Lied und Reigen

Das Beste—ruhn und schweigen.

Where once the aged sang,

The young would rather twitter;

But when the young now twang,

To old ears it sounds bitter.

With all this noise, the best

Is silence, peace, and rest.

Page 47: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

34

(189) Mit seltsamen Gebärden

Gibt man sich viele Pein,

Kein Mensch will etwas werden,

Ein jeder will schon was sein.

With eccentric actions

We make much agony;

None wants to become something,

Everyone just wants to be.

Wär nicht das Auge sonnenhaft,

Die Sonne könnt’ es nie erblicken;

Läg’ nicht in uns des Gottes eigne Kraft,

Wie könnt uns Göttliches entzücken?

Were not the eye so like the sun,

How could it then endure the light?

If God’s own power were not in us,

How could we feel divine delight?

Was heiße wohl die Natur ergründen?

Gott ebenso außen als innen zu finden.

What has nature’s riddle been?

To find God both without and within.

Page 48: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: PROVERBS

35

Angedenken an das Gute

Hält uns immer Frisch bei Mute.

Angedenken an das Schöne

Ist das Heil der Erdensöhne.

Angedenken an das Liebe,

Glücklich! wenn’s lebendig bliebe.

Angedenken an das Eine

Bleibt das Beste, was ich meine.

Remembrance of the good and true

Will keep our spirits ever new.

Remembrance of the lovely things

To mortal men gives healing wings.

Remembrance of the heart so dear

Is joy to us, if it be near.

Remembrance of the only One

Remains the best e’er to be done.

Zierlich Denken und süß Erinnern

Ist das Leben im tiefsten Innern.

Graceful thought and sweet remembrance:

Life in purest, deepest essence.

Page 49: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre
Page 50: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

37

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Boerner, Peter. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1964). Reinbeck bei

Hamburg: Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, 1999.

Bowring, E.A., trans., et al. The Poems of Goethe. Boston: Estes and

Lauriat, 1883.

Glass, Derek, Matthew Bell, and Martin H. Jones. Goethe in English:

A Bibliography of the Translations in the Twentieth Century.

Leeds: Modern Humanities Research Association, 2005.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. Dichtung und Wahrheit (1811).

Ditzingen: Reclam, 2012.

Hutchinson, Peter, ed., and Elisabeth Stopp, trans. Johann Wolfgang

von Goethe: Maxims and Reflections. London: Penguin, 1999.

Page 51: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

38

Luke, David, ed. Goethe: Selected Verse. London: Penguin, 1964.

Parks, Tim. “Translating in the Dark.” The New York Review of

Books Blog, 30 Nov. 2011.

Pfeffer, J. Alan. The Proverb in Goethe. New York: King’s Crown

Press, 1948.

Robinson, Peter. Poetry & Translation: The Art of the Impossible.

Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2010.

Rumens, Carol. “Translating poetry opens up new worlds of

language.” The Guardian Books Blog, 28 Sep. 2007.

Saunders, Bailey, trans. The Maxims and Reflections of Goethe. New

York: Macmillan, 1906.

Simmons, Lucretia Van Tuyl. Goethe’s Lyric Poems in English

Translation Prior to 1800. University of Wisconsin Studies in

Language and Literature, vol. 6 (December 1919).

Stephenson, Roger H. Studies in Weimar Classicism: Writing as

Symbolic Form. Bern: Peter Lang, 2010.

Trunz, Erich, ed. Goethes Werke (Hamburger Ausgabe), vol. 1:

Gedichte und Epen. 16th ed. Munich: Verlag C.H.Beck, 1981.

Vogel, Theodor, ed. Goethe: Gott, Gemüt und Welt. 4th ed. Leipzig:

Verlag B.G.Teubner, 1911.

Page 52: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe PROVERBS · Goethe s poetry and, with little knowledge of German language, culture, or history, they struggle to understand his contributions. One genre

39

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

longtime student of European history, literature, art, and

music, Robert B. Sowby has traveled extensively through-

out Europe and served two years in eastern Germany as a

missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He

studied at Brigham Young University, Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, and Harvard University. He lives with his wife,

Christie, a professional pianist, in Salt Lake City.

A