Rilke in Charleston

     Yesterday I spent too short a time in lovely Charleston, SC. The American Association of Teachers of German-South Carolina met there. In order to accommodate our members, we rotate between the Midlands, Upstate, and Low Country for meetings (I am in the Midlands, and Charleston is in the Low Country that's for international readers).

     We convened at the College of Charleston. How anyone can study or work there is beyond me! Charleston is a lovely, active city, full of tourists, full of local culture, and full of good things (usually- it has been a hard time since the events at Mother Emmanuel Church).

     My presentation's title translates as "Poems in the Classroom". I spoke about Rilke's Dinggedcht  "Der Panther" , and about some of the poems I use in the classroom and where I find them. http://www.deutschelyrik.de/        I was also asked to read something from my book, and I read this one, which actually came to me in a dream. From Places and Times I also include a translation.

Mein Traum

Die Namen der U-Bahnhöfe schweben

Vor mir in der nächtlichen Ferne

Wie bunte Sterne, im Himmel wehend,

Ein Paternosteraufzug in der Stadt.

Ich steige aus und sofort will wieder

Einsteigen zum heranwinkenden Licht

An Bellvue vorbei, dann Friedrichstrasse

Richtung Alex, dann Prenzlauer Allee.

Musik von Konzert oder Kneipe,

Vielleicht mal ins Kino oder Café.

Unbegrentzte Möglichlichkeiten reizen

Mich wie Lorelei oder Sirenen

Abhängig von ob ich mich befinde

Auf dem Rhein oder auf’m Mittelmeer.

Im Grunde bin ich unweit von der Spree

Und muss mich mal auf etwas entschliessen.

Auf einmal wach’ ich auf und bermeke

Dass ich Tausende von Kilometern

Westlich bin, inmitten einem Wald.

Keine öffentliche Vekehrsmittel

Stehen mir zur Verfügung, weder die

U-Bahn noch S-Bahn laufen nicht einmal

Busse. Noch wieder Träume von Berlin.

My Dream

The names of the subway stations hover

Before me in nocturnal distances

As colorful stars waft in the heavens,

Like an urban paternoster lift.

I leave the train and immediately

Want to take another to a beckoning light.

Passing by Bellvue Palace and Friedrichstrasse

Towards Alex, then Prenzlauer Allee,

Music from Cabaret or a bar,

Maybe from a cinema or bistro.

Unlimited possibilities tempt

Me like the Sirens or the Lorelei.

Am I on the Rhine or Mediterranean?

Acutally I am close to the Spree

And have to quickly make a decision.

Suddenly I awaken, realizing

That I am thousands of miles to the west

Deep in the woods without a U-Bahn,

S-Bahn, cream-colored double decker buses.

But I still have those dreams about Berlin

Arthur Turfa, copyright 2015, eLectio Publishing


     By the way I am fortunate to have a steady and itneresting intenrational following. Everyday there are some hits here from Portugal. Recently I have seen regular interest from Poland, South Korea and Russiant  Thanks!