And I found a rather glorious modern translation by Daniel Staechelin to go with it.
“Stufen” by Hermann Hesse
“Stages”
As every blossom withers and every youth
calms with age, so does every stage of life bloom,
just as each wisdom and virtue blooms
in their time, without permission to last eternally.
In every stage of life the heart
must be prepared for farewells and new beginnings,
so that through courage and without mourning
it can give itself up to different, new bonds.
And within each dawn there resides a magic,
which protects us and helps us thrive.
We are meant to stride through each room with high spirits,
never to cling to one as though it were a home,
the World Spirit doesn’t wish to chain and trap us,
He wants to hold us up, stage by stage, expanding our horizons.
Barely are we familiar with a life,
and intimately accustomed, when it threatens to slacken.
Only those prepared for departure and voyage,
can break away from paralyzing custom.
Maybe even the hour of death
will call us youthfully into new rooms.
Life’s calling will never end…
Courage, my heart, take leave and fare thee well!
“Stufen”
Wie jede Blüte welkt und jede Jugend
Dem Alter weicht, blüht jede Lebensstufe,
Blüht jede Weisheit auch und jede Tugend
Zu ihrer Zeit und darf nicht ewig dauern.
Es muß das Herz bei jedem Lebensrufe
Bereit zum Abschied sein und Neubeginne,
Um sich in Tapferkeit und ohne Trauern
In andre, neue Bindungen zu geben.
Und jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne,
Der uns beschützt und der uns hilft, zu leben.
Wir sollen heiter Raum um Raum durchschreiten,
An keinem wie an einer Heimat hängen,
Der Weltgeist will nicht fesseln uns und engen,
Er will uns Stuf’ um Stufe heben, weiten.
Kaum sind wir heimisch einem Lebenskreise
Und traulich eingewohnt, so droht Erschlaffen,
Nur wer bereit zu Aufbruch ist und Reise,
Mag lähmender Gewöhnung sich entraffen.
Es wird vielleicht auch noch die Todesstunde
Uns neuen Räumen jung entgegen senden,
Des Lebens Ruf an uns wird niemals enden…
Wohlan denn, Herz, nimm Abschied und gesunde!
NIce.
Hey, out of interest, what is your nationality?
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Do you mean passport-wise or genetically?
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Passport-wise. It occurred to me this afternoon while walking my dogs that you could be any number of nationalities, and I really didn’t have a clue as to which. It’s not important, but if you don’t mind divulging…
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Regarding citizenship, I only hold a French passport.
As for a national identity, I have none. I went to school in the US, Brazil, Britain and Spain. The country where I’ve lived the longest consecutively is Spain, so I suppose that’s the major player in my experience up to now 🙂
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Cool. Yeah, I knew you spent time down here, so I was interested just to find out what your passport said. Was actually thinking about how the new French laws will affect you, hence the question.
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What? What law?
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The tax which has annoyed many of the well-to-do
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Oooooooooohhhh 😀 I’m fine with that. The French tax system offers program after program for people willing to invest i.e. Loi Duflot.
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LOL! Well, good for you! I can only wish you every success.
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You just wait- I’m on a mission 😉
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The one that made Gerard Depardieu throw a wobbly and renounce his French citizenship. I did an article for the NYT’s last year about it, and many of the more wealthy citizens were considering leaving to avoid it.
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Or so they say. I’m not sure how much Depardieu would enjoy living in tax free Dubai. Or how Dubai authorities would react if he pulled out his penis in public as he once did on an airplane.
What does the Qur’an say about drunken penile exhibition? Do they just cut it off? Or is the punishment that he gets slapped in the face by someone else’s?
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The punishment for penis exposure on a Muslim airplane is that all the women on it are immediately stoned to death, slowly, when the plane lands. Muslim’s believe a man will not expose his penis unless first tempted by the insipid, innate evil which radiates from the pores of women. thus, it’s their fault the penis was exposed. If no women are on the plane when said penis is exposed, 5 random Muslim women are to be stoned when the plane lands. Because, without a rational doubt, SOME woman, SOMEWHERE was responsible for the johnson’s exposure taking place on the plane. Hope that clarifies Muslim law for you. Goodnight, and may your first child be a masculine child.
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That’s just so PERFECT- but you see, the problem is it’s for the British market rather than the American one. That’s the direction you should be pursuing. A British agent 😉
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If so, it should be televised! 🙂
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Oh, and Brigitte Bardot I see
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9780815/Brigitte-Bardot-threatens-to-follow-Gerard-Depardieu-in-leaving-France-for-Russia.html
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Whoops, she’s not leaving because of tax… My bad.
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They’re both egocentric a-holes.
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And what is Zande? Dutch? I’m guessing it doesn’t mean you’re part of the Azande people of Sudan 🙂
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Private message
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Of course all that has done is drive the rest of us wild with ‘satiable curiosity.
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Oh, I posted it, but then realised it gave away too much personal info. I don’t mind if you see it. Ask Pink, see if he can get it to you.
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Well he reads his own blog as far as I am aware, so if he hadn’t trashed it he can forward it. Although I think you can go into trash sometimes too. I invariably save deleted comments. It’s a journalism thing. I worked on a newspaper that had a libel case pending—no, not me! it was before I joined—and we had to keep our notebooks for years. It was a nightmare. Trouble is, I’ve carried on with that practice ever since so our houses are crammed with useless paperwork.
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Its never useless, just presently un-used.
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You’re a sweetheart 🙂
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Fascinating story, btw. For ages I was hugely into genealogy.
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Yours is mildly more complicated than mine 🙂
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Very nice.
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I’ve just put a call in to 007. Waiting for him to return the call, but, as the bastard owes me $, he might not. The bastard. I consider your comment to be of the highest kind. The Brits are light years ahead of Americans when it comes to satire.
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Holy Mackerel, I owe you and email… In the meantime—so happy for you! xox, V
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More like holy rollmops forced down one’s throat! They’re taking ALL my furniture!
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