Miracles - 5. . . . through the burning of sinews . . .

Retrospection crowns this chapter.
 

All the hard straining tears

All the harshly laughed-at fears

All the coldly smothered embers

Through the seething stream of my blood

Through the burning of my sinews

Through the blazing of thought

Storming storming

Bows bending

These lines spoke so directly to me, they echo still.  

On 4/14/2023 at 7:38 AM, Parker Owens said:

Retrospection crowns this chapter.
 

All the hard straining tears

All the harshly laughed-at fears

All the coldly smothered embers

Through the seething stream of my blood

Through the burning of my sinews

Through the blazing of thought

Storming storming

Bows bending

These lines spoke so directly to me, they echo still.  

 

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Parker, Yes, Retrospection caps off the entire "DU" collection. I believe Stramm chose the opening and concluding poems of his series very carefully. Retrospection has some remarkable poetry on display, as you pointed out

These two poems are pleasing contrasts to the prior poems.  They are an aesthetic blending of nature and love rich in imagery both soft and charming. Like Parker, these also spoke to my soul.   

10 hours ago, raven1 said:

These two poems are pleasing contrasts to the prior poems.  They are an aesthetic blending of nature and love rich in imagery both soft and charming. Like Parker, these also spoke to my soul.   

Thank you, Terry. "Spoke to my soul" is a very high compliment indeed

This is subtle, but I might as well bring it up. In Retrospection, the lines that read:

Through the burning of my sinews  

Through the blazing of thought 

Storming storming

Bows bending

Rain because of

Thee

Are in German:

Durch das Brennen meiner Sehnen

Durch die Lohe der Gedanken

Stürmen stürmen

Bogen bahnen

Regen wegen

Dir

As you can see, one line begins with Bogen, and the following with Regen. I tried to capture this bit of poetical magic with Bows and Rain, because Regenbogen in German is rainbow in English. See . . . ?

Oh, the silly amount of details a translator needs to rack and torment themselves over

This collection was more upbeat and positive than some of the previous poems, and I'm glad you offered this last.  It leaves me with a much better feeling as I leave this collection.   

10 hours ago, Bill W said:

This collection was more upbeat and positive than some of the previous poems, and I'm glad you offered this last.  It leaves me with a much better feeling as I leave this collection.   

@Bill W Thanks for reading and commenting, Bill. I really appreciate it. It's pretty clear to me Stramm arranged his poems to end on a high note. I'm particularly fond of Recruiting. The title in German is just as suggestive, and the poem's sensual import can't be denied. How few poets have ever been bold enough to talk about this form of sex? And especially, publishing it in 1910.

Thanks once more for reading the entire "THOU" collection. You're the best  

On 4/17/2023 at 1:28 PM, wildone said:

These probably made me feel reconciliation and hope. Of the groups of poems, these had me feeling content and feeling good! I know you mentioned that he carefully chose his opening and closing poems, AC, made me look back at the opening and the closing sets. I see what you mean. Seeing the trees amongst the forest.

It was a journey to go through them all, but glad you took the time and effort to translate them to us. Thank you

Aw, all wonderful things to say, wildone. The work of translating this collection took months and months of daily effort -- an hour or two in the evening, to avoid burnout. I was nearing the completion of the first rough draft when the notice appeared there would be a poetry anthology this year. I thought, why not? Now, I'm not sure: strong poetry, like strong liquor, should be imbibed only by those ready for it.

I might have done better posting these in the manner I did with a Glass Floor Underfoot. Who knows 

On 4/30/2023 at 5:36 PM, Valkyrie said:

I can also see the progression of the poems, and these are a perfect ending note.  I liked that they ended on a high note.  My German is nicht so gut, but I will be seeking the originals out at some point to help me in my journey of learning the language.  Thank you for introducing me to this poet and sharing your translations with us for the anthology   

Thank you, Valkyrie, for your kind and supportive comments. Perhaps this was not the right venue to release my "THOU" translations, but it is what it is.

For anyone interested, I just read a poem this morning that seems firmly in Stramm's sphere of influence. I don't know if Ms. Dent, an out poet, consciously or unconsciously channeled the "DU" collection, but this poem certainly moves in the same poetic space Stramm carved out for us in 1910. Anyway, here it is.

Luna

The moon as brittle as a tooth

The moon mistaken

For a fortune come true

Collapses tersely like a compact mirror

Its likeness sending me into a tailspin

My finger swelling

From the uncertainty nearly contained

And yet I admit her sympathy

I permit the telling

Of her story in the streets

Her story splintering apart in midstream

As she lies awake, the object of comment

A settlement of white wood and glass

Then where is she in our union?

Where is she

When the Black Lotus sways?

Amidst hibiscus and a broth of castile

A woman is lifted by her hips

Her hair pulled tightly from her temples

The way thread is jolted from a spool

With the back of my hand high

To her throat, she recoils

Like a loitering book it her binding

The crane returning

To her alcove of shade

Where wedged between the blueprints of ink

The indolent moon is a truant seed

Refusing to die and refusing to grow

No larger

Than the button or a dime.

But hush

Now she listens from her circular booth

Solely to you or solely to me

Guileless as a pearl

With her sad, curved ear

Bowed like the forehead of a geisha girl.

—Tory Dent,

2005

I found this poem quite interesting and loved the different images used to portray the moon.  While acknowledging the moon an object, the poem also pictures it as seen thru the filters of different elements of human imagination like love, magic, and influences it is rumored to have on humans.  Thanks for sharing! ❤️ 

18 minutes ago, raven1 said:

I found this poem quite interesting and loved the different images used to portray the moon.  While acknowledging the moon an object, the poem also pictures it as seen thru the filters of different elements of human imagination like love, magic, and influences it is rumored to have on humans.  Thanks for sharing! ❤️ 

Thanks for reading and commenting, Terry!