Sunday, December 12, 2010

Im Nebel - In the Fog

"Would you do us the pleasure, one day, of a poetry reading in German?"

It's several moons ago that Stan asked this question.

Well, after all, one day has come.

8 comments:

  1. A lovely reading, Sean. Thank you. The image you chose fits it well. It's a beguiling poem, one moment desolate, the next quite cheerful. (Or so it seems to me.)

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  2. Marvellous, Sean! I loved the way you got the fogginess into the sound so that I had to concentrate, leaving everything else aside, just to understand.

    "Strange to wander in the fog ..." Indeed. And, as the saying goes, in many ways our encounters are like ships passing each other in the fog. Here's a deep toot from my foghorn to your ship! Have a good Sunday ...

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  3. It´s quite a pity that the German palindrome Nebel - Leben (or in Dutch: nevel - leven) can't be used in English. While fog is a misty word, gof would be even mistier.

    Maybe this problem it is a huromsac, as Word Verification would like to call it.

    Bertus

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  4. Splendid! Voice and photo. And so true. Yet, there are moments when the fog lifts up. Maybe not for long! But there are moments...

    When I read this in French, in my 20s, I said, "Il y a une éclaircie dans le brouillard. Attendez-moi, Monsieur Hesse. Je vous vois, je viens..."

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  5. There was a quality of haunting eeriness in your voice that suited the reading of this wonderful piece to perfection. Well done Sir Sean.

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  6. I have no language but English so I found a translation after listening to this once and then listened again. You've caught the mood perfectly and the photo is sublime.

    Sometimes we're lucky and meet good friends with like minds in the fog.

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  7. It sounds wonderful Sean. Now I had better learn some German to appreciate it fuly!

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  8. All,
    Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed a bit, the more as I erroneously posted a version mainly two lines of which I considere(d) suboptimal. :)

    Stan,
    I suppose you feel a certain cheerfulness in the two verses beginning with 'Full of friends'?
    This thought is, however, but a memory of the past.
    Still, I think the wanderer is far from being desperately sad. it's just that inmidst the fog everything, i.e. life becomes clear for him. And he does accept life, i.e. loneliness as a matter of fact.
    ... Well, what else could he do, hm?

    Francis,
    your foghorn's deep toot piloted my thoughts out of the fog, and yes: I had a good Sunday. Thank you.

    Bertus,
    ha, that my dearest Dutch poet would mention my favourite palindrome!
    Yes. I think that's what the poem is about. - Need I say I am a bit, perhaps even a lot more optimistic; although sometimes ... sometimes I have thoughts coming very close to the wanderers thoughts.
    Why? I live, and I do see so much that is evil.

    Claude,
    yes! :) That's Leben. :)

    As for the photo: I read the poem (several times) somewhen in summer, but decided to wait until in October/November when I could take some fitting fog-photos.
    Well, there was no deep fog up til now. So I decided this single photo taken on a Saturday morning walk in October is good enough.
    After all, by trying to be perfect one's feeding a severe enemy of the good, hm? :)

    Lady Janice,
    such compliment by a poetess makes me feel as if honey's been poured down my back. :)

    Susan,
    indeed. Sometimes, inmidst fog you stumble upon wonderful human beings (that you might not have taken notice of ... when the sun's shining. ...

    Jams,
    wann wollen wir anfangen? :)

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