WE DREAM, WE DREAM

Almost Heaven, I guess.   (photographer unknown)

                  [English Translation Below]

                             Ein Traum, Ein Traum *         

         Ein Traum, ein Traum ist unser Leben auf Erden hier.

         Wie Schatten auf den Wolken schweben und schwinden wir.

         Und messen unsre trägen Tritte nach Raum und Zeit;

         Und sind (und wissen's nicht) in Mitte der Ewigkeit. 

                                     Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 – 1803)

Williston, FL.  I think.  (photographer unknown)

                 [German Original Above]

                    A Dream, A Dream

A dream, a dream is our life on earth here.

Like shadows on clouds we float and disappear.

And measure our slothful steps through space and time;

And are (and know it not) in the midst of eternity.

                        Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 – 1803)

.

"Baby Carolina mantis hatchlings on my front porch, underneath roof edge."
(photograph: Jolene Kesson-Jackson, Facebook)

  *  I was studying Chemistry and German at George Washington University
     during the Watergate scandal. I took a German class during that
     summer. The professor assigned us the task of memorizing a German
     poem.

     Fortunately, for me I had recently bought a German / English bilingual
     book (“a reader" for learners like me) of poems and various kinds of
     excerpts from German authors such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
     (I still remember his “Was Ist Heilig?” – “What is Holy?”) published by
     Bantam.

     As I remember it “Ein Traum, Ein Traum” was the shortest poem in the
     entire book and that certainly was why I chose it. More importantly,
     however, I actually did like the poem and still do; and I can still recite it
     from memory.

     I hope you like it too.

    Peter