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Poetry

What I Wish For Myself

By Thomas Brasch
Translated from German by Anne Posten

Of Wonder’s songs the saddest
about the downfall of New York City
played on a record player in Hester Street
of Brecht’s poems the most beautiful
written in the Charité 2 days before his death
about the song of the blackbirds after his death
of Shakespeare’s plays the strangest
about the prince behind the screen of his madness
enslaved by rationalism and a tedious ghost
of the nights the brightest in front of the KaDeWe
the newspaperladies go their ways the Tagesspiegel is there
the sky flat and
of your beautiful body the knee

 

Translation of “Was ich mir wünsche.” Copyright Suhrkamp Verlag. By arrangement with the publisher. Translation copyright 2010 by Anne Posten. All rights reserved.

English

Of Wonder’s songs the saddest
about the downfall of New York City
played on a record player in Hester Street
of Brecht’s poems the most beautiful
written in the Charité 2 days before his death
about the song of the blackbirds after his death
of Shakespeare’s plays the strangest
about the prince behind the screen of his madness
enslaved by rationalism and a tedious ghost
of the nights the brightest in front of the KaDeWe
the newspaperladies go their ways the Tagesspiegel is there
the sky flat and
of your beautiful body the knee

 

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