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die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus

English translation: the world turns of its own accord

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German term or phrase:	die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus
English translation:	the world turns of its own accord
Entered by:	Kim Metzger

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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 KudoZ activity Questions: 1186 (none open) (10 closed without grading) Answers: 15258 Mexico
Local time: 11:32

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: 10:32

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 +2

the world turns of its own accord

Nancy Arrowsmith

3 +1

the world spins by itself

Joseph Hovan

3 +1

the world spins itself out

Nesrin

the world creating, ...

Johanna Timm, PhD

the world turns and asks for no reason

Kieran McCann

3 -1

the planet turns, as worlds are wont to do

Terry Moran

Answers

8 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

the world spins by itself

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

Joseph Hovan
Local time: 12:32
Native speaker of: English

34 mins confidence:

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: 09:32
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 61

7 hrs confidence:

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
Local time: 17:32
Native speaker of: Arabic
PRO pts in category: 20

9 hrs confidence:

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: 18:32
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

11 hrs confidence:

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
Local time: 17:32
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 15

14 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

the world turns of its own accord

Nancy Arrowsmith
Local time: 10:32
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
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.

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die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus

English translation: the world turns of its own accord

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die Welt dreht sich aus sich heraus

English translation: the world turns of its own accord

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.