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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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 Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:25 pm
Finally got the book Messer by Till Lindemann. I am going to translate the book into English, poem by poem. I'm also working on some other things Till has been in. But for now, here is a poem from 'Messer'.
Because the German language DOES differ from English when dealing with nouns and tenses, some of it is lost in translation. I will do my best to translate it as close to the original, but will have to change words here and there to make it fit in English.
Aberglaube
Aus meinem Auge fällt ein Haar
ich wünsch mir was
sie wäre tot
und nicht mehr da
Superstition
From my eye falls a hair*
I wish me
to be dead
and no longer here
*The hair is an eyelash. Some people believe when an eyelash falls from your eye, you're supposed to make a wish. Hence the poem's title 'Superstition'.
Corrections by Doktor Flake.
Meine Mutter ist blind
Akne und Rosazea liefen Hand in Hand
über meine zarte Haut
über unberührtes Land
und haben es im Streich verbrannt
Mein Vater spricht zu mir
liebes Kind glaub jetzt und hier
die Frau die dich zum Manne nimmt
ist selber häßlich oder blind
In den Spiegel seh ich nicht
ich trag die Fackel im Gesicht
ich bin einsam doch nicht allein
Akne und Rosazea werden immer bei mir sein
My Mother is Blind
Acne and Rosazea went hand and hand*
on my tender skin
of pristine land
and have burned in strings **
My father said to me
Lovely child believing here and now
The woman who takes you to manhood***
is herself ugly or blind
In the mirror I do not see
the torch I carry to my face****
I'm lonely but not alone
Acne and Rosazea will always be with me
*Acne and Rosazea are skin conditions in which you have a lot of pimples and red, dry skin.
** The lines 'burn in strings' is reference to the deep scars left behind when acne has ruined the skin.
*** It translates, woman who takes you to the man, but it really means a woman who considers you a man.To take it as sexual, means the woman who has sex with you, and as non-sexual, the woman that finds you good looking. In this case, his father is talking sexual, while he is considering the non. The poem's title 'My mother is blind' is reference to this line, saying his mom finds him handsome therefore she must be blind.
**** The 'torch' he carries to his face him trying to get rid of the acne. I'm assuming those burning alcohol wipes used for pimples.
Messer
Das tote Meer in meinem Fleisch
hat geboren einen Hafen
jeden Tag zur gleichen Zeit
legt sie an um mich zu strafen
mit einer sterbenden Galeere
die Lerche mit der weißen Haube
ich würde töten daß sie bei mir wäre
doch hat sie Schnabel gleich dem Greif
und Fänge scharf wie eine Schere
Sie wirft Anker und wird singen
entzwei mein Schiffchen aus Papier
schneidet es mit edlen Klingen
schreit sich zu käalteren Gewässern
es sinkt und niemand singt mit mir
und darum hab ich Angst vor Messern
Das Schiffchen blutet aus dem Mast
in die Brust der Großmama
und wenn ihr nachts die Sonne scheint
ist jemand da der mit ihr weint
wir treiben kalt auf Augenschauern
hungerfroh in schweren Fässern
sie schneidet tief um mich zu essen
und darum hab ich Angst vor Messern
Und wenn mir nachts die Sonne scheint
ist niemand da
der mit mir weint
Knife
The dead sea in my flesh
has born a port
every day at the same time
sets out to me to penalize
with a dying glare
the lark with the white hood
I would kill me that they would*
but her bow is equal in grief**
and catches sharp like scissors***
It raises anchors and sings
dividing my paper boats
cut with noble blades
cries to the colder waters
they sink and nobody sings with me
and so I fear knives
the boats bleed from the mast
in the chest of my grandmother
and in your nights the sun shines
anyone since her cries
push cold from eye-showers****
hunger-happy in heavy tubs*****
it cuts deep for me to eat
and so I fear knives
And if the sun shines at night
is nobody there
with me to weep
The majority of the poem has double meanings in its nouns that could either be nautical terms for ships or they could be about violence. If I marked every one of those, it would take up a whole page by itself. But, know that whenever he speaks in terms, it's usually half a sentence per line and the next line finished the sentence. Almost every line is like that. And Till likes to make up words.
*Till speaks backwards on purpose. It could mean he would kill himself or others want him to kill himself.
** the 'bow' refers to the bow of a ship.
*** the original work fäng is another term that's double meaning is to do with ships with treasure found by pirates. But, it could also mean to catch or pull something.
**** the word ' treiben' can also be translated to 'floating on liquid'.
***** I used tubs, but the true translation is for a barrel's or tub's amount of water they carry, not the objects themselves. That is untranslatable.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:33 pm
Katze: "This is so beautiful, and yes I can tell that the German version is better, but it is still original, and rather philosophical."
Akumuchou (cause she doesn't want to log on and is sitting next to Katze): "This is wonderful. Translations always lose something, but still, I can tell enough to know I like Till's writing style. As a poetry-writer myself, I cannot wait to see more poetry! Thanks tons for translating this!"
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:21 pm
Welcome! But, the word changing is going to happen to a lot of the poems due to tense. I'll go back and edit Superstition because I think I could shed a little more light on it if I explain the tense I had to change.
Currently working on another Poem. I will post it in the first post as well as put it as a reply.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:24 pm
We are both excited, I promise. And yes, the translating must be really difficult, so thank-you for doing this for the loving fans, and awesome work!
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:40 pm
Meine Mutter ist blind
Akne und Rosazea liefen Hand in Hand
über meine zarte Haut
über unberührtes Land
und haben es im Streich verbrannt
Mein Vater spricht zu mir
liebes Kind glaub jetzt und hier
die Frau die dich zum Manne nimmt
ist selber häßlich oder blind
In den Spiegel seh ich nicht
ich trag die Fackel im Gesicht
ich bin einsam doch nicht allein
Akne und Rosazea werden immer bei mir sein
My Mother is Blind
Acne and Rosazea went hand and hand*
on my tender skin
of pristine land
and have burned in strings
My father said to me
Lovely child believing here and now
The woman who takes you to manhood**
is herself ugly or blind
In the mirror I do not see
the torch I carry to my face
I'm lonely but not alone
Acne and Rosazea will always be with me
*Acne and Rosazea are skin conditions in which you have a lot of pimples and red, dry skin.
** It translates, woman who takes you to the man, but it really means a woman who considers you a man.To take it as sexual, means the woman who has sex with you, and as non-sexual, the woman that finds you good looking.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:14 pm
I feel like I should hug Till now.... gonk
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:50 pm
Flake has been making fun of the first poem, because apparently I messed it up by translating it. I'm going to let him correct me. His tenses are better than mine. crying
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:41 pm
Correction to your first poem Tilly. You have the nouns right, just not the tense. It really reads
From my eye falls a hair*
I wish me
to be dead
and no longer here
*The hair is an eyelash. Some people believe when an eyelash falls from your eye, you're supposed to make a wish. Hence the poem's title 'Superstition'.
The tense was 'me' not 'myself' though that would make more sense in english to use the latter.
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:24 pm
Doktor_Flake_Lorenz Correction to your first poem Tilly. You have the nouns right, just not the tense. It really reads
From my eye falls a hair*
I wish me
to be dead
and no longer here
*The hair is an eyelash. Some people believe when an eyelash falls from your eye, you're supposed to make a wish. Hence the poem's title 'Superstition'.
The tense was 'me' not 'myself' though that would make more sense in english to use the latter.
Super genius Flake is at it again... whee
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:24 pm
Herr Till Lindemann Doktor_Flake_Lorenz Correction to your first poem Tilly. You have the nouns right, just not the tense. It really reads
From my eye falls a hair*
I wish me
to be dead
and no longer here
*The hair is an eyelash. Some people believe when an eyelash falls from your eye, you're supposed to make a wish. Hence the poem's title 'Superstition'.
The tense was 'me' not 'myself' though that would make more sense in english to use the latter.
Super genius Flake is at it again... whee Well, I guess both are geniuses. Till, for being the poet behind all of these masterpieces, and Flake for translations. ((must say that is ironic, as Flake is the one that keeps asserting that they need to use less english))
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 4:31 am
Hardest one I've done so far and also the first in the book. I hope to god the others aren't as bad as this one!
Messer
Das tote Meer in meinem Fleisch
hat geboren einen Hafen
jeden Tag zur gleichen Zeit
legt sie an um mich zu strafen
mit einer sterbenden Galeere
die Lerche mit der weißen Haube
ich würde töten daß sie bei mir wäre
doch hat sie Schnabel gleich dem Greif
und Fänge scharf wie eine Schere
Sie wirft Anker und wird singen
entzwei mein Schiffchen aus Papier
schneidet es mit edlen Klingen
schreit sich zu käalteren Gewässern
es sinkt und niemand singt mit mir
und darum hab ich Angst vor Messern
Das Schiffchen blutet aus dem Mast
in die Brust der Großmama
und wenn ihr nachts die Sonne scheint
ist jemand da der mit ihr weint
wir treiben kalt auf Augenschauern
hungerfroh in schweren Fässern
sie schneidet tief um mich zu essen
und darum hab ich Angst vor Messern
Und wenn mir nachts die Sonne scheint
ist niemand da
der mit mir weint
Knife
The dead sea in my flesh
has born a port
every day at the same time
sets out to me to penalize
with a dying glare
the lark with the white hood
I would kill me that they would*
but her bow is equal in grief**
and catches sharp like scissors***
It raises anchors and sings
dividing my paper boats
cut with noble blades
cries to the colder waters
they sink and nobody sings with me
and so I fear knives
the boats bleed from the mast
in the chest of my grandmother
and in your nights the sun shines
anyone since her cries
push cold from eye-showers****
hunger-happy in heavy tubs*****
it cuts deep for me to eat
and so I fear knives
And if the sun shines at night
is nobody there
with me to weep
The majority of the poem has double meanings in its nouns that could either be nautical terms for ships or they could be about violence. If I marked every one of those, it would take up a whole page by itself. But, know that whenever he speaks in terms, it's usually half a sentence per line and the next line finished the sentence. Almost every line is like that. And Till likes to make up words.
*Till speaks backwards on purpose. It could mean he would kill himself or others want him to kill himself.
** the 'bow' refers to the bow of a ship.
*** the original work fäng is another term that's double meaning is to do with ships with treasure found by pirates. But, it could also mean to catch or pull something.
**** the word ' treiben' can also be translated to 'floating on liquid'.
***** I used tubs, but the true translation is for a barrel's or tub's amount of water they carry, not the objects themselves. That is untranslatable.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:29 am
This is great.
I got Messer a couple of years ago
and was slowly translating it.
Though it was difficult for the reasons that you said...
Till sometimes likes to make up words haha
But thank you for this!
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:32 pm
Katze Allemon-Schatten Herr Till Lindemann Doktor_Flake_Lorenz Correction to your first poem Tilly. You have the nouns right, just not the tense. It really reads
From my eye falls a hair*
I wish me
to be dead
and no longer here
*The hair is an eyelash. Some people believe when an eyelash falls from your eye, you're supposed to make a wish. Hence the poem's title 'Superstition'.
The tense was 'me' not 'myself' though that would make more sense in english to use the latter.
Super genius Flake is at it again... whee Well, I guess both are geniuses. Till, for being the poet behind all of these masterpieces, and Flake for translations. ((must say that is ironic, as Flake is the one that keeps asserting that they need to use less english))
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:34 pm
Madam Tranquilizers This is great. I got Messer a couple of years ago and was slowly translating it. Though it was difficult for the reasons that you said... Till sometimes likes to make up words haha But thank you for this!
It's a pain in the a**. LOL.
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:58 pm
Herr Till Lindemann Katze Allemon-Schatten Herr Till Lindemann Doktor_Flake_Lorenz Correction to your first poem Tilly. You have the nouns right, just not the tense. It really reads
From my eye falls a hair*
I wish me
to be dead
and no longer here
*The hair is an eyelash. Some people believe when an eyelash falls from your eye, you're supposed to make a wish. Hence the poem's title 'Superstition'.
The tense was 'me' not 'myself' though that would make more sense in english to use the latter.
Super genius Flake is at it again... whee Well, I guess both are geniuses. Till, for being the poet behind all of these masterpieces, and Flake for translations. ((must say that is ironic, as Flake is the one that keeps asserting that they need to use less english)) Yeah, all I could do is translate it into french if you wanted me to, not that I think that is very likely...
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Reply
