German Poems
So What
from Textbuch 5, 1965
the honest people have proved to be corrupt
the decent people have proved to be bogus
vitality proves to be impotence
chastity proves to be oversexed
the sober people have proved to be addicts
the responsible people have proved to be irresponsible
magnanimity proves to be pettiness
discipline proves to be confusion
love of truth has proved to be riddled with lies
fearlessness proves to be cowardice
justice to be cruelty
the life-affirmers prove to be a shifty lot
the corrupt people prove to be the only honest ones
the bogus only are decent people
impotence only is vital
being oversexed is the only kind of chastity
only addiction is sober
only irresponsible people have a sense of responsibility
the petty are the only magnanimous people
confusion alone is disciplined
lies are the only truth
only cowards are fearless
only those who are cruel are just
only those who are a shifty lot are life-affirmers
whoever is honest is corrupt
whoever pretends to be decent is bogus
whoever wants to seem vital produces impotence
whoever wants to seem chaste becomes oversexed
whoever is sober is an addict
whoever wants to take on responsibility is irresponsible
whoever wants to seem magnanimous ought to be petty
whoever believes in discipline is confused
whoever tells the truth is a liar
whoever is fearless is a coward
whoever wants to be just is cruel
whoever affirms life is a shifty lot
honestly corrupt or corruptly honest
decent bogusness or bogus decency
vital impotence or impotent vitality
oversexed chastity or chaste oversexedness
addicted through sobriety or soberly addicted
responsible irresponsibility or irresponsible responsibility
magnanimously petty or petty magnanimity
disciplined confusion or confused discipline
true lie or truth riddled with lies
fearlessly cowardly or cowardly fearlessness
just cruelty or cruelly just
a shifty lot's affirmation of life or life-affirmingly shifty
so what
Translated by Michael Hamburger
Page(s) 160-1
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