Steps

Steps

By Hermann Hesse

 

As every blossom fades

and all youth sinks into old age,

so every life’s design, each flower of wisdom,

attains its prime and cannot last forever.

The heart must submit itself courageously

to life’s call without a hint of grief,

A magic dwells in each beginning,

protecting us, telling us how to live.

 

High purposed we shall traverse realm on realm,

cleaving to none as to a home,

the world of spirit wishes not to fetter us

but raise us higher, step by step.

Scarce in some safe accustomed sphere of life

have we establish a house, then we grow lax;

only he who is ready to journey forth

can throw old habits off.

 

Maybe death’s hour too will send us out new-born

towards undreamed-lands,

maybe life’s call to us will never find an end

Courage my heart, take leave and fare thee well.

 

Stufen

By Hermann Hesse

 

Wie jede Blüte welkt und jede Jugend

Dem Alter weicht, blüht jede Lebensstufe,

Blüht jede Weisheit auch und jede Tugend

Zu ihrer Zeit und darf nicht ewig dauern.

Es muß das Herz bei jedem Lebensrufe

Bereit zum Abschied sein und Neubeginne,

Um sich in Tapferkeit und ohne Trauern

In andre, neue Bindungen zu geben.

Und jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne,

Der uns beschützt und der uns hilft, zu leben.

 

Wir sollen heiter Raum um Raum durchschreiten

An keinem wie an einer Heimat hängen,

Der Weltgeist will nicht fesseln uns und engen,

Er will uns Stuf’ um Stufe heben, weiten.

Kaum sind wir heimisch einem Lebenskreise

Und traulich eingewohnt, so droht Erschlaffen,

Nur wer bereit zu Aufbruch ist und Reise,

Mag lähmender Gewöhnung sich entraffen.

 

Es wird vielleicht auch noch die Todesstunde

Uns neuen Räumen jung entgegen senden

Des Lebens Ruf an uns wird niemals enden…

Wohlan denn, Herz, nimm Abschied und gesunde!

 

 

About the Poem

 

Hermann Hesse wrote “Stufen” in 1941. You may be familiar with Hesse’s novels Siddhartha or Steppenwolf, which revolve around the inner transformations of their characters, a theme that is also found in Hesse’s shorter works. “Stufen”, or “Steps” (also translated as “Stages”), reads like the themes in his novels edited down to a single poem. But like most poetry, it’s not written in simple and direct language. You’ll probably find new meaning in lines each time you read the poem and understand them differently each time. There are numerous translations of the poem, and this one was translated line by line. Often translations of poems either try to simply translate the words, others try to keep it in the original poetic form, and others try more to capture the theme of the poem than translate word for work. I don’t often use translated poems, because native speakers of the language often find fault with the translation.

 

 

About the Poet

 

Hermann Hesse (born July 2, 1877, Calw, Germany—died August 9, 1962, Montagnola, Switzerland) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge, and spirituality. His characters attempt to break out of the established modes of civilization so as to find an essential spirit and identity.

 

He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.