Posted by Racer on October 4, 2006, at 2:27:36
In reply to Re: This is a real story that reminded me of » Racer, posted by Lindenblüte on October 3, 2006, at 22:27:32
> Ahhh Racer,
> That was a lovely diversion. Thank you so much.You're very welcome. I'm just surprised you weren't familiar with him already. His poetry is quite popular still -- "Die Lorelei" is one of his best known poems, and that's apparently still sung as one floats down the Rhine...
>
> I rarely read poetry... :)I rarely read it anymore, either. And, unfortunately, I have a very limited palette, if you will. The half dozen poets I like, I known nearly by heart. (OK, some entirely by heart. Makes it hard to read...) Heine is one I still read -- although my German is so dessicated now, it's too hard to read much. I keep saying I'll do something about it, but...
>
> >
> Especially that last line. It's kind of like some Great Sentimental Romantic Poem collides with a Limerick, and the Limerick wins :)If you like that, you'll like most of his work. The hard part, for me, is realizing that some of it truly is heartfelt with not a whisp of cynicism. He loved Germany, from where he was exiled. His poems about his Fatherland are heartbreaking, once one realizes that part.
> yikes! Can you recommend me volumes with double quotes? I can read his stuff just fine with my modern German knowledge (Goethe was often frustrating, although not as frustrating as Shakespeare.)I checked Amazon, and it's going to be very hard. I can't tell what looks worthwhile -- I think it's best to get them from Germany, but Penguin had a bilingual edition a while back, and I did find this one: "Heinrich Heine: Poetry and Prose" which is OK, but not my first choice -- limited selection, not necessarily my favorites of his poems; and "Songs of Love and Grief:" which I haven't seen in person.
Lemme say it again, though: he's one of my favorite poets, and just based on what I know of you, I think you'll like his work, too. It's heart-rending, but there's usually that wry smile to it, too. Even the most heartbreaking poems. And if you can find a copy of "The Poet Dying," which is about his last years, it will add meaning to many of his poems.
There's a poem in which he tells his wife, "after my funeral, ride home, do not walk. You'll be too tired..." He was paralyzed by what was likely Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and fiercely worried about what would happen to his wife when he died. His jokes about her remarrying take on a new meaning, for me at least, when I keep that in mind. He wanted to make sure she was cared for, and thought she needed a husband to do that.
OK. I'm rambling again. And I think I need to go read some poetry...
>
> -Li
> p.s. Only took one literature class in college- it was on Doktor Faustus and his legend through the ages. :) Consider me ignorant, but curious :)
poster:Racer
thread:691508
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060922/msgs/691707.html