Tag: Äpfel

Patient Men Will Eat Ripe Fruit

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Today’s RDP prompt is autumn. Now, although it already feels like autumn technically it is still summer. Yet the autumn fruits are being harvested, the first pumpkins and squashes are at the market, apples and pears are ripe for the picking, the grapes need a few more day.

The Ragtag Daily Prompt: Autumn

My (and every second German’s) favourite autumn poem, written by Rainer Maria Rilke in 1902 in the Paris:

Herbsttag

Herr, es ist Zeit. Der Sommer war sehr groß.
Leg deinen Schatten auf die Sonnenuhren,
und auf den Fluren lass die Winde los.

Befiehl den letzten Früchten, voll zu sein;
gib ihnen noch zwei südlichere Tage,
dränge sie zur Vollendung hin, und jage
die letzte Süße in den schweren Wein.

Wer jetzt kein Haus hat, baut sich keines mehr.
Wer jetzt allein ist, wird es lange bleiben,
wird wachen, lesen, lange Briefe schreiben
und wird in den Alleen hin und her
unruhig wandern, wenn die Blätter treiben.

Here is a translation, not a bad one by any means but obviously poems suffer in translation:

Autumn Day (English)

Lord: it is time. The summer was immense.
Lay your shadow on the sundials
and let loose the wind in the fields.
 
Bid the last fruits to be full;
give them another two more southerly days,
press them to ripeness, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.
 
Whoever has no house now will not build one anymore.
Whoever is alone now will remain so for a long time,
will stay up, read, write long letters,
and wander the avenues, up and down,
restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.

(translated by Edward Snow)

I’m a fan of apples

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047 apples 4

First on the tree, golden

047 apples 6

or red,

047 apples 1

and then on the table.

047 apples 2

047 apples 7

And then they can end up like this:

047 apples 3

or better yet, like this:

Äppler

These are traditional stone ware jugs for German or rather Hessian cider called Äppelwoi.

Linked to I’m a fan of …  Interested in more fanatical posts? Click here.

Polite request of a gardener at the end of summer

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12 end of summer

This witty poem about apples and pears and seasonal occupations of young rascals is by Theodor Storm, a well-known German writer.  He wrote it about 150 years ago and it was published in a calendar to portray late summer woes (and pleasures).

I couldn’t find a translation so I tried my hand on it.  Bear in mind that the German is by choice overly polite and very contrived.  If somebody knows of a translation, I’d be very interested to read it:

August (personal ad)

The esteemed lads who are this season
planning to steal my apples and pears
are kindly requested if at all possible
to restrain themselves in these affairs
so as not to trample my carrots and peas
In the adjoining patches, please.

Here is the orignal:

August (Inserat)

Die verehrlichen Jungen, welche heuer
Meine Äpfel und Birnen zu stehlen gedenken,
Ersuche ich höflichst, bei diesem Vergnügen
Wo möglich insoweit sich zu beschränken,
Dass sie daneben auf den Beeten
Mir die Wurzeln und Erbsen nicht zertreten.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo prompt: The end of summer.