Calendar of the Soul XLV

“Calendar of the Soul”—Rudolf Steiner’s 52 Verses for the Year
∇ Forty-fifth Week of the Year ∆
Below is Dr Steiner’s original verse followed by my translation into English.

Es festigt sich Gedankenmacht
Im Bunde mit der Geistgeburt,
Sie hellt der Sinne dumpfe Reize
Zur vollen Klarheit auf.
Wenn Seelenfülle
Sich mit dem Weltenwerden einen will,
Muss Sinnesoffenbarung
Des Denkens Licht empfangen.


A virgin spring of willful thinking
Sends the spirit forth in birth eterne
Refracting rays of yonder cosmic sun
And to the sense-world, light bestowing.
If one, from depths of heart, should strive,
In soul, to join with world-becoming,
Then, from the senses, truth discern
By the inner light of knowing.

2 Comments Add yours

  1. Hesiod says:

    If I could ask, since you translate Steiner, and I translate sometimes as well; you seem to go for a more image-oriented translation. Is that fair? I do too. Some people have questioned the reasons for that — to which I think the answer is obvious. Image oriented translations sometimes communicate the picture better than “pitilessly literal” translations do.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Max Leyf says:

      Yes, I agree; I think it’s obvious. If translation was the same thing as transposing, then we would just use computers.

      I understand translation as an attempt to convey meaning, not words. I can imagine certain contexts in which a “pitilessly literal” translation would be useful, but I can also imagine that some people who question straying from this don’t know the spirit from the letter in the first place.

      Liked by 1 person

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