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- 02/15/2024
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The Ultimate Vehicle of Earthly Bliss - 5. Constellations
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Sternbilder
Die Kassiopeia kennst du
Und den Himmelswagen.
Mehr Bilder weißt du nicht?
Ich soll dir sagen,
Was all die andern Sterne bedeuten – –
Und einen Augenblick
Schließ ich die Augen und denke der Zeiten –
Seltsam ferner Zeiten denk ich zurück.
Dein weißes Gesicht ist zum Himmel erhoben –
Die Kassiopeia kennst du
Und den Himmelswagen – – – –
Die andern Bilder sind – Sterne da droben,
Ich – werde dir nie ihre Namen sagen.[i]
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Constellations
Cassiopeia you can name
And Callisto as well
But know you more metaphors?
Perhaps I’m meant to tell
What all the other stars are thought to mean – –
So for a moment
My eyes close and drift back to those distant days –
Those far away and oddly removed times.
However, your pale-white face is lifted skyward –
It’s Cassiopeia you know
And Callisto as well – – – –
So all the other stories – in the stars above,
I – will never name you their tragedies.
[i] “Sternbilder” Toni Schwabe, Ibid., p. 62
https://archive.org/details/3476447/page/72/mode/2up
In Classical mythology, Cassiopeia (the mother of Andromeda) is eternally punished (by a man) by being tied to a chair in the night sky. She was meant to be a warning to all women who even consider going against the wishes of the men who have legal possession of them, or so the Ancient Greeks intended.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopeia_(mother_of_Andromeda)
"Himmelswagen" [The Sky Cart] is a constellation apparently predating Classical culture. It comprises parts of several constellations, known by other names in Greek and Latin, to form a four-wheeled vehicle.
The lion’s share of Himmelswagen is centered on Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. In Classical mythology, the wood nymph Callisto was turned into one, and in Latin slang, ursa means Lesbian due to the love she shared with the goddess Diana. Owning to more male trickery, Callisto was taken from life and placed in the stars without her consent.
For more information on Himmelswagen, see Dirk Lorenzen’s October 10th, 2016, article "Der Himmelswagen über dem Horizont: Die Große Bärin im Norden,” posted on deutschlandfunk.de
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/der-himmelswagen-ueber-dem-horizont-die-grosse-baerin-im-100.html
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