Der Lernende / Bertolt Brecht

Der Lernende

Erst baute ich auf Sand, dann baute ich auf Felsen.
Als der Felsen einstürzte
Baute ich auf nichts mehr.
Dann baute ich oftmals wieder
Auf Sand und Felsen, wie es kam, aber
Ich hatte gelernt.

Denen ich den Brief anvertraute
Die warfen ihn weg. Aber die ich nicht beachtete
Brachten ihn mir zurück.
Da habe ich gelernt.

Was ich auftrug, wurde nicht ausgerichtet.
Als ich hinkam, sah ich
Es war falsch gewesen. Das Richtige
War gemacht worden.
Davon habe ich gelernt.

Die Narben schmerzen
In der kalten Zeit.
Aber ich sage oft: nur das Grab
Lehrt mich nichts mehr.

Bertolt Brecht





The Learner

First I built on sand, then I built on rock.
When the rock caved in
I no longer built on anything.
Then I often built again
On sand and rock, as it came, but
I had learned.

Those to whom I had entrusted the letter
Threw it away. But those I paid no attention to
Brought it back to me.
Thereby I learned.

What I ordered was not carried out.
When I arrived I saw
It was wrong. The right thing
Had been done.
From that I learned.

The scars are painful
Now it is cold.
But I often said: only the grave
Will have nothing more to teach me.

Bertolt Brecht: Der Lernende (c. 1935)

Translated by Lee Baxendall

(From Bertolt Brecht: Poems 1913-1956 (1976), Routledge, New York, 1976.)





The Learner

First I built on sand, then I built on rock.
When the rock gave way
I stopped building altogether.
Then I built again, and often
On sand and rock, as it came, but
I had learnt.

Those to whom I had entrusted the letter
Threw it away. But those I had taken no heed of
Brought it back to me.
And so I learnt.

The tasks I assigned were not carried out.
When I came I saw
They were wrong. The right things
Had been done.
From that I learnt.

The scars are painful
In the cold times.
But I often said: only the grave
Will teach me nothing more.

Bertolt Brecht

Translated and edited by Tom Kuhn and David Constantine

(The Collected Poems of Bertolt Brecht, 2018)





El que aprende

Primero construí sobre arena, luego construí sobre roca.
Cuando la roca se desmoronó
ya no construí sobre nada.
Luego volví a construir muchas veces
sobre arena y roca, según viniera, pero
había aprendido.

Aquellos a quienes confié la carta
la tiraron. Pero los que yo no tenía en cuenta
me la trajeron otra vez.
Entonces aprendí.

Lo que encargué no se cumplió.
Cuando llegué, vi
que eso no era verdad: Lo justo
se había realizado.
Con eso aprendí.

Las cicatrices duelen
cuando hace frío.
Pero digo a menudo: Sólo la tumba
ya no me enseñará nada.

Bertolt Brecht

Traducción de José María Valverde





L’uomo che impara

Prima costruii sulla sabbia,
poi costruii sulla roccia.
Quando la roccia crollò
non ho più costruito su nulla.
Poi ancora talvolta costruivo
su sabbia e roccia, come capitava, ma
avevo imparato.

Coloro ai quali affidavo la lettera
la buttavano via.
Ma chi non curavo
me la riportava.
Allora ho imparato.

Le mie disposizioni non furono rispettate.
Quando giunsi, m’avvidi
che erano sbagliate.
Era stato fatto
quel che era giusto.
Così ho imparato.

Le cicatrici dolgono
nel tempo di gelo.
Ma spesso dico: solo la fossa
non m’insegnerà più nulla.

Bertolt Brecht

Trad di Emanuele Amedeo Caputi





Öğrenen Kişi

Önce kumun üzerine kurdum, sonra kayanın.
Hiçbir şeyin üzerine kurmadım artık
çökünce kaya.
Sonra yeniden kurdum sık sık
kum ve kayanın üzerine.
Öğrenmiştim ama.

Kendilerine güvenip de mektubu verdiklerim
çöpe attılar onu.
Ama hiç önemsemediklerim
bulup geri getirdiler bana.
Öğrendim böylece.

Yapılmadı buyurduklarım.
Gelince gördüm ki
yanlışmış.
Yapılmıştı doğru olan.
Bir şey öğrendim bundan da.

Eski yaralar acır
soğuklarda.
Ben sık sık şöyle derim ama:
Yalnız mezarın hiçbir şeyi olmayacak
bana öğretecek.

Bertolt Brecht

Çevirenler: A. Kadir - Gülen Aktaş

Bertolt Brecht