Re: _In Stahlgewittern_ - Origin of Booktitle

["Thomas Mosch" <mosch@postconsult.de>]

Bertil Haggman wrote

> Thanks for the thoughtful comments.
> Grateful for any input on this.

Sorry for that, Bertil. I hope I didn't offend you seriously by that little
remark.

> Gripe wrote:
> 23   Your life shall not be burdened by anybody -
>      hear and learn it, glorious hero:
>      your name 
>      will live as long as the world stands,
>      waker of storm of steel."
>  
> And here is the original in Edda Grípisspá #23 
> where the term is 'naddél':
> Þvíat uppi mun,    meðan o,ld lifir,
> naddéls boði,      nafn Þitt vera.
> 
It is hard to believe for me that EJ as a young man in his early twenties
could have read the original Edda in Old Norse, especially when he was
rather interested in "Afrikanische Spiele" in his teen age and afterwards
joined the army for four years. Moreover I have never heard that Old Norse
have been taught in German schools even at the beginning of the century.

My old Brockhaus edition told me that there are two German translations of
the Edda available in the early 20th century: One by Karl Simrock (1st
edited in 1851, 10th edition in 1896) and one by Gering from 1892. Maybe
John in Hamburg has access to these editions and can have a look in Edda
Gripe 23 to see the translation of "naddél".

> > Finally "Sturm" as well as "Gewitter" are often used metaphors of
German
> > expressionist poetry of that time. So the choice of the title of EJs
book
> > might also be influenced by that 
> 
> You are probably right here.
> Any good examples ?

I would like to give just some well known examples. The first is maybe the
most famous German expressionist poem:

Jakob van Hoddis "Weltende" (1911)

Dem Bürger fliegt vom spitzen Kopf der Hut,
In allen Lüften hallt es wie Geschrei,
Dachdecker stürzen ab und gehn entzwei
Und an den Küsten - liest man - steigt die Flut.

Der Sturm ist da, die wilden Meere hupfen
An Land, um dicke Dämme zu zerdrücken.
Die meisten Menschen haben einen Schnupfen.
Die Eisenbahnen fallen von den Brücken.

The next example is from Paul Boldt "Junge Pferde, junge Pferde" (1912):
[...]
Junge Sommermorgen zogen
Weiß davon, sie wieherten.
Wolke warf den Blitz, sie flogen
Voll von Angst hin, galoppierten.-
[...]

Georg Heym "An Hildegard K." (1912)
[...]
Hören im Sommer
Die Orgel der matten Gewitter,
Baden im Herbsteslicht,
Am Ufer des blauen Tages.
[...]

Ernst Stadler "Fluß im Abend" (1912)
Der Abend läuft den lauen Fluß hinunter.
Gewittersonne übersprengt die Ufersenkung bunter.
[...]
Es ist, als ob mein tiefstes Glück durch grüne Ufer
in den brennenden Gewitterabend läuft.

The last one from Alfred Wolfenstein "Hingebung des Dichters" (1917)
[...]
Doch wie im Traum blau über dem Dach seiner Donner,
Über deneigenen Lippen noch unerlöstwartet er selbst, der Dichter,
... Sturm, von der Sonne versammelt, regnet nicht auf in die Sonne!
In dem gewitterverbauten Himmelglühen oben noch lechzend die Lichter.
[...]

Sorry for writing so much German in this English speaking list.

Regards from Berlin
Thomas