Monday, December 26, 2005

Translation

Buddha in der Glorie

Rainer Maria Rilke

Mitte aller Mitten, Kern der Kerne,
Mandel, die sich einschließt und versüßt, -
dieses Alles bis an alle Sterne
ist dein Fruchtfleisch: Sei gegrüßt.

Sieh, du fühlst, wie nichts mehr an dir hängt;
im Unendlichen ist deine Schale,
und dort steht der starke Saft und drängt.
Und von außen hilft ihm ein Gestrahle,

denn ganz oben werden deine Sonnen
voll und glühend umgedreht.
Doch in dir ist schon begonnen,
was die Sonnen übersteht.



Buddha in Glory

Center of all centers, core of the core,
Almond that encloses and sweetens itself, --
one with the farthest stars,
your own sweet flesh: be known!

See! You feel, nothing hangs on you;
the Infinite is in your bowl,
the sweet juice flooding it.
Helped by a radiance from beyond,

overhead your full and glowing Suns
are overwhelmed.
Yes, in you, already begun, that
which outlasts the Stars.

7 comments:

buddy larsen said...

Nice, Seneca, very calming.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it true that Jesus and Confucious were contemporaries?

chuck said...

Terrye,

I think you mean Buddha and Confucius. The birth of Buddha was about 563 BC and that of Confucius about 550 BC.

MeaninglessHotAir said...

Nice translation.

Anonymous said...

chuck:

Actually I was thinking of a religious scholar who made note of the fact that Jesus and Confucius were contemporaries, even wondering aloud if they might have been influenced by some of the same factors..

It was one of those things you hear and then later ask yourself, 'Did I hear that correctly?'

But you are right, neither Confucius or Buddha came to prominence until some time after the birth of Jesus. In fact they were closer to the time of Mohammed.

buddy larsen said...

Tho Buddah's and my name are similar, no one would EVER confucius.
\:-(

buddy larsen said...

'ere ye go, ye livers o' th' mither tongue.