Delayed Action
Korf invents some jokes of a new sort
That only many hours later work.
Everybody listens to them, bored.
Yet, like some still fuse glowing in the dark,
You wake up suddenly that night in bed
Beaming like a baby newly fed.
Commentary
Wrapping up the theme…
Translated from the German by W. D. Snodgrass and Lore Segal.
Morgenstern has been described as the canonical example of the untranslatable poet. Today’s poem, though, exhibits none of the mystery and magic of, say, “Der Lattenzaun” or “Das Mondschaf”; it’s merely a charming piece of whimsy, and deserves to be delighted in for that reason alone.
— Thomas
Moreover
Here’s the German original:
“Korf erfindet eine Art von Witzen”
Korf erfindet eine Art von Witzen,
die erst viele Stunden später wirken.
Jeder hört sie an mit Langerweile.
Doch als hätt ein Zunder still geglommen,
wird man nachts im Bette plötzlich munter,
selig lächelnd wie ein satter Säugling.
– Christian Morgenstern
And here’s Babelfish’s stab at translation:
“Korf invents a type of jokes”
Korf invents a type of jokes,
those only many hours later work.
Everyone hears it on with long while.
But as if a scale haett quietly geglommen,
becomes at night suddenly lively one bed bed,
blessedly smiling like a full baby.
– Christian Morgenstern / babelfish.altavista.com
Of course, the conjunction of German, translation and new jokes reminds me irresistibly of Monty Python’s “Funniest Joke in the World” sketch, which you can read at http://www.montypython.net/scripts/funniest.php .
And finally
If the idea, theory and practice of translation fascinates you, I can’t do better than to recommend Douglas Hofstadter’s wonderful book “Le Ton beau de Marot”, which is almost as much of a tour de force as his earlier masterpiece, “Godel, Escher, Bach”. Read them both.