die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus

English translation: the world turns of its own accord

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus
English translation:the world turns of its own accord
Entered by: Kim Metzger

01:26 Jan 8, 2005
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / ecology
German term or phrase: die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus
I think a scientist or engineer wrote this poem about the value of our forests. It's very good and on the metaphysical side. Here's the first part with a rough draft of my translation. I'd appreciate ideas on what "die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus" might mean.

Den Himmel in Holz
vermessen weitläufig
was wir aus den Kronen ersehen (Kronen=Baumkronen!)
ist mehr als eine Heimat des Hähers
was sie bewegt behalten sie für sich
ihr Gespräch verstummt
wenn wir zu nahe sind

die Welt dreht sich
aus sich heraus
es gibt Geheimnisse
und die Samen tragen sie fort

an unseren Begrenzungen
warten die Pfähle (übertragener Sinn: Zaunpfähle)
und das Lachen derer
die sich darüber hinwegsetzen


The sky measured in wood, amply
from what we gather from the crowns
is more than the home of the jay
what moves them they keep to themselves
their conference falls silent
when we get too close

the world turns ... turns out of its depth
aus sich heraus
there are secrets
and seed carries them away

at our boundaries
wait the fence posts
and the laughter of those
who surmount them
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 03:02
the world turns of its own accord
Explanation:
i.e, it doesn't need our help.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs 24 mins (2005-01-08 15:50:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

on its own axis would be another possibility, although further from the original.
Selected response from:

Nancy Arrowsmith
Local time: 03:02
Grading comment
Many thanks to Nancy and everyone else for your helpful suggestions. There were a lot of different possibilities, but I settled on this one with a twist.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2the world turns of its own accord
Nancy Arrowsmith
3 +1the world spins by itself
Joseph Hovan
3 +1the world spins itself out
Nesrin
3the world creating, ...
Johanna Timm, PhD
3the world turns and asks for no reason
Kieran McCann
3 -1the planet turns, as worlds are wont to do
Terry Moran


  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the world spins by itself


Explanation:
poetry is really tough, but this might work. Good luck!

Joseph Hovan
Local time: 10:02
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lancashireman: 'the world powers its own rotation' or'spins under its own steam' (except steam power sounds absurd!). These three versions all endorse the sentiment of the first verse in which the tree-tops keep the secret of their movement to themselves
12 mins

agree  Anglo-German (X)
23 mins

disagree  Terry Moran: I can't imagine that the poet would think this worth saying.
9 hrs
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34 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the world creating, ...


Explanation:
die Welt dreht sich
aus sich heraus
es gibt Geheimnisse
und die Samen tragen sie fort

the world creating,
leaving secrets,
carried away by seeds

to me “dreht sich heraus” can be interpreted in various ways
1. turns itself (literally)inside out and as such is giving birth (the seeds etc)
(just as some flowers turn themselves inside out in order to propagate)

2. the world leaves its prescribed path and is unpredictable
with further explanations in the next verse(fence posts that are surmounted)

3. The world/nature has its own rhythm
A rhythm that we can only try to understand and “measure” (first verse)

‘Vermessen’ has a double meaning( presumptuous)

Humbleness in the face of nature. Great poem.






Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Local time: 02:02
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 69

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Anglo-German (X): Zu "vermessen": Das habe ich zuerst auch für doppeldeutig gehalten, aber dann passt das Holz nicht mehr.
1 hr
  -> das Holz passt , nur 'measure' nicht

disagree  Terry Moran: It certainly sounds poetic, but how can "dreht sich aus sich heraus" denote creation?
8 hrs
  -> I tried to explain this above but not very effectively, it seems;). think of any fruit ( papaya, mango): the seeds are inside, and it has to be "turned inside out" to propagate.

agree  innsbruck: "dreht sich aus sich heraus" kann vielfach interpretiert werden; besonders gefällt mir die Interpretation mit den Früchten; das ist ein sehr schönes Bild!
1 day 13 hrs
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the world spins itself out


Explanation:
..not sure if that makes any sense, but it might be suitable since it's just as ambiguous as the German.
The references below are not to prove I am "right", but just to see the different ways in which the expression is used:

The world spins itself out in ways that makes one thing topple another thing until
finally the whole world seems covered by the confusions and contradictions ...
www.oldfirst.org/s081703.htm

if you detached yourself from the center and were 'looking in to' the sphere of revolution of, for example, the earth, which 'spins' itself out over many years, like a cocoon in space
www.goodshare.org/incubate.htm

Simply because it is its nature to do so, this one energy continually spins itself out as the entire, infinite universe."
homepage.powerup.com.au/~highnote/meditation3_9.htm

The scholastic contention of realism and nominalism has the same content; in short,
this spins itself out through all Christian history, and cannot end in it. ...
www.nonserviam.com/egoistarchive/ stirner/TheEgoSingles/TheEgo-255.html

Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:02
Native speaker of: Arabic
PRO pts in category: 20

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Herbert2
8 hrs
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
the planet turns, as worlds are wont to do


Explanation:
This may be what the poet is getting at. I'm using both planet and worlds to make the line scan.

None of the other suggestions appeals poetically, though they may well convey the literal meaning accurately.

Terry Moran
France
Local time: 10:02
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Anglo-German (X): Der Planet dreht sich, nach der Welten Art? Klingt nach 19. Jahrhundert, dieses Gedicht hat einen "moderneren Sound".
1 day 16 hrs
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the world turns and asks for no reason


Explanation:
the world turns
and asks for no reason
mysteries are in the air
and carried afar by (the) seeds

'aus sich heraus' could imply 'for its own reasons/on its own intiative' or, more physically, 'under its own power'. I've preferred the former to keep the tone meta-physical and Hölderlin-like. If you prefer the latter, then maybe 'and asks for no help'

'needs' could replace 'asks for' but I think 'asks for' fits with the sense of agency attributed to a living natural world here: the 'Kronen' converse, the 'Pfähle' are waiting etc

the 'wir' earlier on could justify an 'us' here: 'the world turns and needs no help from us' etc but I have preferred to keep it abstract

Kieran McCann
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:02
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 15
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14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
the world turns of its own accord


Explanation:
i.e, it doesn't need our help.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs 24 mins (2005-01-08 15:50:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

on its own axis would be another possibility, although further from the original.

Nancy Arrowsmith
Local time: 03:02
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 19
Grading comment
Many thanks to Nancy and everyone else for your helpful suggestions. There were a lot of different possibilities, but I settled on this one with a twist.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anne Schulz
5 hrs

agree  shineda: gefällt mir noch am besten
18 hrs

neutral  Karin Weldy (X): How about... turns on its own accord?
1 day 6 hrs
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