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German: Andererseits wusste die Sonne nicht, wie schön sie ist...

English translation: but the Sun did not realize his own beauty until he saw it mirrored in the building



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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Andererseits wusste die Sonne nicht, wie schön sie ist...
English translation:but the Sun did not realize his own beauty until he saw it mirrored in the building
Entered by:SwissTell
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8:24pm Mar 26, 2002Login or register (free) for more options.
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
German term or phrase: Andererseits wusste die Sonne nicht, wie schön sie ist...
Andererseits wusste die Sonne nicht, wie schön sie ist, bevor sie nicht die Seite eines Gebäudes getroffen hatte.

My grammar's playing me up here. Can someone tell me how to phrase this in good English? Many thanks ;o)
Roddy Tannahill
United Kingdom
but the Sun did not realize his own beauty until he saw it mirrored in the building
Explanation:
a more poetic version. I do not think that straight translation will do in such a case.
Selected response from:

SwissTell
United States
Note from asker to answerer
Beautiful poetry :) Thank you :)
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4but the Sun did not realize his own beauty until he saw it mirrored in the building
SwissTell
4 +4On the other hand,the sun didn't know how beautiful it is..ingot
4 +1On the other hand, the sun didn't know how beautiful she is, until she had illuminated the side of a
Elisabeth Ghysels
4On the other hand, the sun did not know how beautiful it was until it hit the side of a building
Karin Zimmer
3 +1On the other hand, the sun did not know how beatiful it/she/he was ...
Lydia Molea


  

Answers

1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
On the other hand,the sun didn't know how beautiful it is..

Explanation:
..

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Note added at 2002-03-26 20:32:12 (GMT)
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...until it shone on the side of a building. (and was presumably reflected back on itself by the glass in the windows?)

ingot

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO): But please note that "sun" is, traditionally, masculine in English (how beautiful he is ..).
8 mins

agree Dr. Fred Thomson: This is the good English you were looking for. The second "nicht" in the German must be ignored (in the Englsh).
27 mins

agree & Associates
37 mins

agree SwissTell: thank you too, David!
1 hr
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2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
On the other hand, the sun did not know how beatiful it/she/he was ...

Explanation:
before/until it hit the other side of the building

Lydia Molea
Germany
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Trudy Peters
1 min
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
On the other hand, the sun didn't know how beautiful she is, until she had illuminated the side of a

Explanation:
until she had illuminated the side of a building. That's the grammar, for the poetics one must be in the right mode, probably.
Greetings,

nikolaus

Elisabeth Ghysels
Belgium

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO): sun is masculine in English
5 mins
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26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
but the Sun did not realize his own beauty until he saw it mirrored in the building

Explanation:
a more poetic version. I do not think that straight translation will do in such a case.

SwissTell
United States
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
Note from asker to answerer
Beautiful poetry :) Thank you :)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO): "chapeau", my friend!
16 mins
  -> thanks for the tip of the hat!

agree Johanna Timm, PhD: Genial!
57 mins
  -> thank you for the flowers!

agree Michael Sebold
1 hr
  -> thank you, Michael!

agree Steven Sidore
1 hr
  -> and thank you too, Ssidore!
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28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
On the other hand, the sun did not know how beautiful it was until it hit the side of a building

Explanation:
there has to be something more poetic than 'hit', but I can't come up with it now.



Karin Zimmer
United States
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral SwissTell: perhaps my above version is?
1 hr
  -> absolutely - sounds great, and nicer than the original even :-)
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