[Juenger-list] Re: DIE SCHERE #70: Note 2: Poetry, metaphysical speculation,mysticism, religion?

[rbakker@mail.uba.uva.nl (Rene de Bakker)]

At 21:42 21-5-01 +0200, you wrote:
>If the first lines of this text were of different lenghts most readers=
 would
>take it as a poem and accept its content as a poetical statement. The
>reaction of birds, flowers, rocks to the rising of the sun is worship-a
>poetic idea indeed. But no way: this text is printed as prose and comes in
>the shape of a statement of fact.

G=FCnter,

Sure, in the shape of, but not really. In fact, I think, it's great=
 Dichtung.
Not to be proven but to be meditated. =20

>Any verbal indication of subjectivity is excluded,

I understand from Strahlungen that with the Schere he finally felt free
to 'state' without the usual restrictions. And that he almost couldn't
stop purifying the text.

Now, if we see #70 from the perspective, that to the world belong
essentially titans and gods - also in Greek myth Eros is brought in
very early, and without any reservation - we could say, that the titanic
in man, bird, flower, stone, the blind necessity of their being=20
asks for a godly perspective, also, or especially, in dark times,=20
when it isn't granted.=20

But when, as I said earlier, J=FCnger extrapolates this connexion
to any possible world - he writes, I think it is in Strahlungen 5,
that the strife of gods and titans was there long before and will be
there long after man -  it is then, as I feel now, that he transcends
the forbidden line of possible experience. It makes no sense
talking of a world outside the scope of man.=20

Generally, I find this Bd. 5  a bit disappointing. A dubious Heidegger
quotation.
The long discussion of Hugo near the end seems to me to be a kind of
reparation for some less
likeable commentary he made earlier on. And the Carnegie quote seems
to me typical: he is already far away. "Das Selbstgef=FChl schwindet".

>there is nothing like =BBI, EJ, sense or see veneration where others
>will only see physical reactions which can be explained by empirical=
 science
>in materialistic terms.=AB

Also this is very real to Juenger, and maybe also included as a
(self-)veneration=20
of man.=20

>It would hardly help to produce evidence, say a letter or memoir by the
>discoverer of the planet Pluto. Let us assume that text stated=
 unequivocally
>that this particular name was chosen by simply adhering to the usage of
>astronomers. EJ would know better. For him the naming would be an act of
>worship, the deliberate intention of the person who names notwithstanding.
>For him there is in all matter in the universe an irresistible drive to
>venerate. Even if you deny it you share it. For to be is to pray. Says the
>nonagenarian sage of Wilflingen.

Here close to H=F6lderlin and Heidegger.=20

Gr=FCsse allerseits

Ren=E9

=20

-----------------------------------
drs. Ren=E9 de Bakker
Universiteitsbibliotheek Amsterdam
Afdeling Catalogisering=20
tel. 020-5252368             =20