The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Current Verse: Week 20

So fühl ich erst mein Sein,
Das fern vom Welten-Dasein
In sich, sich selbst erlöschen
Und bauend nur auf eignem Grunde
In sich, sich selbst ertöten müsste.

—Rudolf Steiner

Corresponding Verse: Week 33

So fühle ich erst die Welt,
Die ausser meiner Seele Miterleben
An sich nur frostig leeres Leben
Und ohne Macht sich offenbarend,
In Seelen sich von neuem schaffend,
In sich den Tod nur finden könnte.

—Rudolf Steiner

But now, I feel my being
That far from cosmic Being
In Self, must self extinguish
And building on its own foundation
In Self, bring death upon itself.

—Tr. Daisy Aldan

Now first I feel the world,
Which shorn from the experience of my soul,
As but a frozen empty waste
Devoid of might, unfold itself,
In souls creating self anew,
In self alone, can find but death.

—Tr. Daisy Aldan

So now for the first time
I taste my very Being;
Self-grounded, self-constructed, self-enclosed
self would have atrophied;
far from the Presence of the World removed
its destiny had been but suicide.

—Tr. Owen Barfield

So now for the first time
I feel the world without me,
empty and bleak and cold,
feeble without the breath
of my participation — unensouled
by human self-renewal, self-creation,
assured of naught but death.

—Tr. Owen Barfield

Thus first my Being stirs:
Which, far from World-existence,
In Self would Self extinguish
And building on its own foundations
Within itself, would slay its Being.

—Tr. Mabel Cotterell

Thus first I feel the World
Which, did my Soul not share in its existence
Would find its life but void and frozen,
And powerlessly itself revealing,
In souls itself anew creating,
In self, could naught but death discover.

—Tr. Mabel Cotterell

I feel at last my own reality,
Which, held apart from world-existence,
Would in itself soon be extinguished,
And building on its ground alone,
Would of itself come but to death.

—Tr. John F. Gardner

‘Tis thus at last I feel the world
That outside my soul’s sharing
Is by itself a frozen, empty life,
Its lack of power revealing;
In souls itself anew creating,
Within itself alone could find but death.

—Tr. John F. Gardner

Now only do I feel my being
Which far from the world's being,
Within itself must self extinguish,
And building only on its own foundation
Would in itself its inner being slay.

—Tr. Isabel Grieve

Now only do I feel the world
Which if my soul shared not its life,
Would find itself a frosty void of living,
And without power itself anew
In souls to recreate,
Within itself could only death discover.

—Tr. Isabel Grieve

Thus only do I feel my being,
Which, far from world existence,
Would in itself extinguish itself
And building on its own ground only
Would in itself bring death upon itself.

—Tr. Brigitte Knaack

Thus only do I feel the world,
Which, left without my soul's participation,
Is in itself but frosty, empty life
And manifests devoid of power,
In souls creating self anew,
Yet, in itself could find but death.

—Tr. Brigitte Knaack

So now I feel my Life,
Which, severed from the Universal Being
Within itself, must quench itself,
And building merely on its own foundations
Within itself, bring death upon itself.

—Tr. Ernst Lehrs

So now I feel the World
Which, left without my soul's experience,
Alone would be but frozen empty life,
And Glory without Power
— Arising new in human souls —
Within itself would nothing find save death.

—Tr. Ernst Lehrs

Thus only do I feel my very being
Which, far from world existence,
Would on its own itself extinguish,
And building on its ground alone
Would bring but death upon itself.

—Tr. Liselotte & William Mann

Thus only do I feel the world,
Which, without my soul's involvement,
Is but an empty frosty life
And manifesting without power;
In souls itself anew creating,
Left to itself would find but death.

—Tr. Liselotte & William Mann

I finally feel my being
far removed from cosmic life.
And by itself, my being must decay —
and building only upon
its own foundation
deep within itself —
must always bring upon itself —
death.

—Tr. Tom Mellett

With only my soul to experience it,
I finally feel the world —
but by itself, its life is:
frozen, empty, powerless.
The world reveals itself in our souls.
It re-creates itself —
yet all it can find within itself is —
death.

—Tr. Tom Mellett

I feel at last my life's reality
Which, severed from the world's existence,
Would in itself obliterate itself,
And building only on its own foundation,
Would in itself bring death upon itself.

—Tr. Ruth & Hans Pusch

I feel at last the world's reality
Which, lacking the communion of my soul,
Would in itself be frosty, empty life,
And showing itself powerless
To recreate itself in souls,
Would in itself find only death.

—Tr. Ruth & Hans Pusch

Just now I feel that my being,
Apart from its presence in the world,
Only in itself, must meet its end,
And building merely on inherent grounds,
Only in itself, must surely pass away.

—Tr. John Riedel MD

Now I begin to feel the world,
That aside from my soul’s presence,
Manifesting only frosty empty life
And showing itself devoid of power,
That souls remaking themselves anew
Would find there only death.

—Tr. John Riedel MD