World Poetry Day!

Happy World Poetry Day!
A good reason (if you need any?) to read some poetry today.
Maybe something old ,
maybe something loved,
maybe something new?

Well for the "maybe something new" section here is a poem I have found recently. It is by Hermann Hesse. Which I feel is a good choice for World Poetry Day due to his connections to various parts of the world.

A quick summary: He was born in Calw, Germany. His mother was born in a missionary in India and his father was born in Paide, Estonia (Article on Hesse-Estonia). They moved to Basel, Switzerland and he obtained Swiss nationality (Previously Russian). He married 3 times; including Swiss and Ukranian wives. He won the nobel prize in literature and wrote various novels including Der Steppenwolf (which inspired the name for the Canadian-American band) and Siddhartha. He also wrote various poems including the one I now present to you below in both English and German:

English (from poems.md)

Without You
My Pillow gazes upon me at night
Empty as a gravestone;
I never thought it would be so bitter
To be alone,
Not to lie down asleep in your hair.

I lie alone in a silent house,
The hanging lamp darkened,
And gently stretch out my hands
To gather in yours,
And softly press my warm mouth
Toward you, and kiss myself, exhausted and weak-
Then suddenly I'm awake
And all around me the cold night grows still.
The star in the window shines clearly-
Where is your blond hair,
Where your sweet mouth?

Now I drink pain in every delight
And poison in every wine;
I never knew it would be so bitter
To be alone,
Alone, without you.


Translated by James Wright


German / Deutsch (from murmel.de)

Ohne Dich
Mein Kissen schaut mich an zur Nacht
leer wie ein Totenstein;
So bitter hatt ich's nie gedacht,
Allein zu sein
Und nicht in deinem Haar gebettet sein!
Ich lieg allein im stillen Haus,
die Ampel ausgetan,
Und strecke sacht die Hände aus,
die deinen zu umfahn,
Und dränge leis den heißen Mund
Nach Dir und küss mich matt und wund-
und plötzlich bin ich aufgewacht
und ringsum schweigt die kalte Nacht,
der Stern im Fenster schimmert klar-
o du, wo ist dein blondes Haar,
wo ist dein süßer Mund??
Nun trink ich Weh in jeder Lust
Und Gift in jedem Wein;
So bitter hat ich's nie gewußt,
allein zu sein,
allein und ohne dich zu sein!!

-Photo by Ian - Snowy Switzerland in the fog