Eight billion mirrors
look the same
when unbroken.
But when they fall,
no two shatter alike.
No two reflect
the wild rose window
of a similar world.
Rejoice in the jagged
chiaroscuro
of your singularity,
the shattering
that makes you whole
and holy unlike.The miracle is not
to merge with God
or evaporate into
the One: the miracle
is to becomea Person.
The mirror of
Christ fallen,
spilling its emptinessinto creation.
Let us imitate the love,
but not the pattern,
for we each have our own.
The more naked,
the more unique.
Now take off your veil,
then take off the veil
under the veil.
Show me the gaze of
your most radiant wound.
Photo: NASA's WISE space telescope shows a cosmic rosebud blossoming with new stars, including the Berkeley 59 cluster and a supernova remnant.
4 comments:
Dear Fred,
I am trying to find a good German translation of that great Poem “Unique” to share it with my friends.
I would like to ask you, if you could be so kind to give a little help here.
I am struggling with 3 lines:
“that makes you whole and holy unlike.”
I understand the meaning of the line but have problems with “unlike” (not one being the same like the other)
In German “unlike” is “ungleich” that sounds not good and is uncommon,
Do you think I could use “unique” instead of “unlike”?
In German unique is “Einzigartig” very close to “ungleich” (unlike)…
By the way: At the end you use "unique" in:
“ The more naked, the more unique.”
“The mirror of Christ fallen, spilling its emptiness into creation.”
OK here the question is what you are meaning.
Do you point in the direction of:
Eight billion mirrors look the same when unbroken.
But when they fall, no two shatter alike.
AND
When the mirror of Christ was fallen and broken – emptiness was spilled into creation?
So - the shattered mirror of Christ spills Emptiness.
Right?
The last one is the in the line:
“show me the gaze of
your most radiant wound.”
I get the meaning, but struggle with “Gaze” which in German translation would mean “Blick”
In German I would better use “Anblick” which is in English “Sight”
Does the meaning get wrong if I would say in German “Show me the sight of your most radiant wound”?
Thank you very much for your help
AND
Thank`s so much for your work and your blogging!
With Love
Otto
I honor and thank you for this! Yes, I would say follow your intuition.I sometimes bend meanings and grammar in ways that would not translate.I think your translations are right for the german. I did not want to say'unique' twice, and I played with the word 'unlike' because it usually meanssomething negative, or 'unlikely.' Something that would not happen, and theopposite of the Biblical 'likeness,' (made in the image and likeness of God).But it is our very unlikely un-likeness that makes us whole and holy.Wholly dissimilar, unlikely.
Send me a copy of the German so I can share it with friends on facebook!
Thank you so much!
Dear Fred,
here it is.
If you are interested in more German versions of your Poems,
I have a couple on my computer (4-6 Poems) and it would be a honor to send it to you.
If you like those send your email address to
otto.raich@raich-trauner.com
and I will send the work back to your account.
Einzig
Acht Milliarden Spiegel
sehen gleich aus,
wenn ungebrochen.
Aber wenn sie fallen,
zerbrechen keine zwei gleich.
Keine zwei reflektieren
das wilde Rosenfenster
einer ähnlichen Welt.
Erfreue dich im schartigen
Licht- und Schattenspiel
deiner Einzigartigkeit.
Das Zerbrechen,
das macht dich vollständig
und heilig ungleich.
Das Wunder ist nicht
mit Gott zu verschmelzen,
oder sich aufzulösen
in das Eine:
das Wunder ist
eine Person zu werden.
Der Spiegel von
Christus ist gefallen,
seine Leere ergießt
sich in die Schöpfung.
Lasst uns die Liebe nachahmen,
aber nicht das Muster,
denn jeder von uns hat sein eigenes.
Je nackter,
desto einzigartiger.
Jetzt nimm deinen Schleier ab,
dann nimm den Schleier
unter dem Schleier ab.
Zeig mir den Anblick deiner
am meisten strahlenden Wunde.
Love
Otto
I am deeply grateful, Otto. You make my day!
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