‘Thinking about Things’ and ‘So nachdenken’ “were ‘born’ at the same time; in a way, both versions are originals. Which makes me think right now – one could view any poem as a kind of translation, within one language usually … When I’m in touch with English-speaking friends, I sometimes start out writing a poem in English. And in this case, I actually prefer the English version.” – Ingrid Fichtner

 

Thinking about Things

and how they threaten you
you try to fight
you try to vanish
you fail
you try again
you are not failing any better
you try to change your mind
and your perception
is still misleading you
you try again
you shut your eyes –
might the adventure then lead you
to castles and maybe in Spain –
your ears cannot shut off the windmills
you try to reconsider things
you fall in love with them

 

So nachdenken

über die Dinge
und wie sie dich bedrohen
du versuchst ihnen zu trotzen
du versuchst dich ihnen zu entziehen
doch du scheiterst
du versuchst es wieder
und du scheiterst gar nicht besser
du möchtest sie gern anders sehen
deine Wahrnehmung
führt dich noch immer in die Irre
du versuchst es wieder –
könnte dieses Abenteuer dich
vielleicht zu Schlössern führen und seien sie aus Luft –
deine Ohren können Windmühlen nicht abstellen
du versuchst die Dinge neu zu überdenken
und verliebst dich schlicht in sie

-Ingrid Fichtner

Ingrid Fichtner wrote ‘Thinking about Things’ (‘So nachdenken’) bilingually, in English and German, respectively.

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Ingrid Fichtner was born in Judenburg, Austria and has been living in Switzerland since 1985. Ingrid is an award-winning poet who has written seven books of poetry, two libretti, and works as a freelance translator. She has won awards and scholarships from the City of Zurich and Pro Helvetia through her collections of poetry including, Lichte Landschaft (2012), Luftblaumesser (2004), Das Wahnsinnige am Binden Schuhe (2000), and Farbtreiben (1999). Her most recent book of poems is Von weitem (Wolfbach, Zürich 2014). Translations of her poetry have appeared in journals and anthologies in English, French, Polish, Spanish, and Malayalam. She has a Master of Arts from Vienna University.

website: http://www.ingridfichtner.ch