Heine: I want to go see a German professor

The world and life are too fragmented.
I want to go see a German professor.
He knows how to critique life,
and makes it an understandable system.
With his nightcap and rags from his nightshirt
he stops up the leaks in the world's construction.

       --Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)

Zu fragmentarisch ist Welt und Leben!
Ich will mich zum deutschen Professor begeben.
Der weiß das Leben zusammen zusetzen,
und er macht ein verständlich System daraus.
Mit seinen Nachtmützen und Schlafrockfetzen
stopft er die Lücken des Weltenbaus.

Comments

[Hilla]

Dear Sedulia, i am very impressed by your beautiful & so various translations. However, there is a slight error in the poem above:
"[...]Ich will mich zum deutschen Professor *begeben*". You have translated "sich begeben" by *to become*. But the meaning of "sich begeben" is simply "to go to"...he wants to go & see a German professor who knows everything better than anyone else... : -)) and who shall know how to explain to him all the mysteries of life... : -))

Keep up the good work!
Best regards,
Hilla

[Sedulia]

Dear Hilla, Thank you-- that's a pretty important error! I will fix it.