The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Current Verse: Week 24

Sich selbst erschaffend stets,
Wird Seelensein sich selbst gewahr;
Der Weltengeist, er strebet fort
In Selbsterkenntnis neu belebt
Und schafft aus Seelenfinsternis
Des Selbstsinns Willensfrucht.

—Rudolf Steiner

Corresponding Verse: Week 29

Sich selbst des Denkens Leuchten
Im Innern kraftvoll zu entfachen,
Erlebtes sinnvoll deutend
Aus Weltengeistes Kräftequell,
Ist mir nun Sommererbe,
Ist Herbstesruhe und auch Winterhoffnung.

—Rudolf Steiner

In constant self-creating,
Soul-being becomes self aware;
The cosmic Spirit forward strides
Through self-cognition new enlivened
And shapes from darkness of the soul
Will-fruit of sense of self.

—Tr. Daisy Aldan

Oneself, the shining light of thinking
To kindle forcefully within,
Imbuing life with meaning
From cosmic Spirit's spring of strength,
For me is Summer heritage,
Is Fall's repose and also Winter hope.

—Tr. Daisy Aldan

Itself-creating still
soul-substance goes on to be self-aware;
refreshed in new self-knowledge lives
on the World-Spirit, onward strives
forging from those dark places of the soul
her felt identity, the fruit of Will.

—Tr. Owen Barfield

Vigorously to kindle here within
the shining light of thought,
from out of the World-spirit's well of strength
to draw up meaning and make sense
of past experience:
all this for me is summertime's bequest,
is winter's hope and autumn's rest.

—Tr. Owen Barfield

Creating still itself
The Soul becomes of Self aware,
The Cosmic Spirit forward strives
In self-cognition gaining life
From out Soul-darkness it creates
The Will-born fruit of Self.

—Tr. Mabel Cotterell

Oneself the light of Thinking
To kindle powerfully within one,
Interpreting existence,
From Cosmic Spirit's source of strength —
This is my Summer's heirloom,
'Tis Autumn's calm and Winter's expectation.

—Tr. Mabel Cotterell

Itself creating evermore
The soul of Self becomes aware;
World-spirit strives on still,
In true Self-knowledge quickened,
And from soul’s darkness fashions
The fruit of Self-directing will.

—Tr. John F. Gardner

To brighten thinking’s flame
By my own inward strength,
Interpreting events of life
With pow’r from cosmic spirit source;
This now for me is summer’s boon,
Is autumn’s calm, and winter’s hope as well.

—Tr. John F. Gardner

The soul becomes aware of self
Through constant self-creation,
The Spirit of the world strives on
Filled with new life in self-cognition
And from the darkness of the soul
It shapes the conscious fruits of will.

—Tr. Isabel Grieve

To fan to strength within me
The light of thought, interpreting
From the World-Spirit's source of power
What I have lived through —
This is my heritage from summer,
My peace in autumn and the winter's hope.

—Tr. Isabel Grieve

Unceasingly itself creating
Soul-being of itself becomes aware;
The Cosmic Spirit, it strives on,
Through self-cognition new-enlivened,
Creates out of the darkness of the soul
The Fruit of Will sprung from the Sense of Self.

—Tr. Brigitte Knaack

To kindle forcefully within
The shining light of thinking for myself,
To read my life's intrinsic meaning
Out of the Cosmic Spirit's fount of strength,
Is now my summer heritage,
Is autumn peace and also winter hope.

—Tr. Brigitte Knaack

Ever anew itself creating
Soul-being of itself becomes aware;
The Spirit of the World strives on
New-quickened in Man's knowledge of himself,
Creating out of darkness of the soul
What sense of Selfhood yields as fruit of Will.

—Tr. Ernst Lehrs

Oneself the Light of Thinking
With power and strength to fan within,
The sense of things lived through interpreting
From the World-Spirit's Well of powers:
This is for me now Summer's heritage,
Is Autumn's calm, and also Winter's hope.

—Tr. Ernst Lehrs

Ever anew itself creating,
Soul life of itself becomes aware.
The spirit of the world strives on,
New-quickened in self knowledge;
And from soul darkness it creates
The selfhood's will-born fruit.

—Tr. Liselotte & William Mann

To fire thinking's radiance
Forcefully within myself,
Find meaning in experience,
From World-Spirit's fount of strength —
For me is summer's heritage
Is autumn's calm and winter's hope.

—Tr. Liselotte & William Mann

By constantly creating itself,
My soul becomes aware of itself.
The cosmic spirit strives on —
In newly animated self-realization —
And creates out of soul darkness
the fruit of my will —
The sense of myself.

—Tr. Tom Mellett

To ignite the light of thinking
so forcefully within me —
To live within the meaning
of the cosmic spirit's source of power —
This is for me:
The heritage of summer,
The tranquillity of fall,
The hope of winter.

—Tr. Tom Mellett

Unceasingly itself creating
Soul life becomes aware of self;
The cosmic spirit, striving on,
Renews itself by self-cognition,
And from the darkness of the soul
Creates the fruit of self-engendered will.

—Tr. Ruth & Hans Pusch

To fan the spark of thinking into flame
By my own strong endeavor,
To read life's inner meaning
Out of the cosmic spirit's fount of strength:
This is my summer heritage,
My autumn solace, and my winter hope.

—Tr. Ruth & Hans Pusch

By continually refining inner self,
Soul-existence wakes itself;
A world-spirit now strides forth
Newly enlivened in self-awareness,
And forms out of soul-darkness
Self-directed willing’s fruit.

—Tr. John Riedel MD

To kindle the illumination of thinking
By my own strong endeavor,
Clarifying experience with meaning
From world-spirit’s mighty source,
For me is not only summer’s gift,
But autumn’s rest, and winter’s hope.

—Tr. John Riedel MD