Angina Days

A bilingual edition of one of the most important German poets of the twentieth century This is the most comprehensive English translation of the work of Günter Eich, one of the greatest postwar German poets. The author of the POW poem "Inventory," among one of the most famous lyrics in the German language, Eich was rivaled only by Paul Celan as the leading poet in the generation after Gottfried Benn and Bertolt Brecht. Expertly translated and introduced by Michael Hofmann, this collection gathers eighty poems, many drawn from Eich's later work and most of them translated here for the first time. The volume also includes the original German texts on facing pages. As an early member of "Gruppe 47" (from which Günter Grass and Heinrich Böll later shot to prominence), Eich (1907-72) was at the vanguard of an effort to restore German as a language for poetry after the vitriol, propaganda, and lies of the Third Reich. Short and clear, these are timeless poems in which the ominousness of fairy tales meets the delicacy and suggestiveness of Far Eastern poetry. In his late poems, he writes frequently, movingly, and often wryly of infirmity and illness. "To my mind," Hofmann writes, "there's something in Eich of Paul Klee's pictures: both are homemade, modest in scale, immediately delightful, inventive, cogent." Unjustly neglected in English, Eich finds his ideal translator here.

Günter Eich Translated and introduced by Michael Hofmann

Acknowledgments, xi
Introduction, xiii
from Abgelegene Gehöfte / Remote Smallholdings (1948)
Abgelegene Gehofte / Remote Smallholdings, 2
Pfannkuchenrezept / Recipe for Pancakes, 4
Camp 16 / Camp 16, 6
Inventur / Inventory, 8
Erster Januar / First of January, 12
from Botschaft en des Regens / Messages from the Rain (1955)
Ende eines Sommers / End of Summer, 16
Gegenwart / Th e Present, 18
D-Zug Munchen-Frankfurt / Munich-Frankfurt Express, 22
Kleine Reparatur / Minor Repair, 24
Weg zum Bahnhof / Way to the Station, 26
Lemberg / Lvov, 28
Andenken / Memorial, 30
Wo ich wohne / Where I Live, 32
Reise / Journey, 34
Mittags um zwei / Two in the Aft ernoon, 36
Betrachtet die Fingerspitzen / Examine Your Fingertips, 38
Briefstelle / From a Letter, 40
Einsicht / Understanding, 42
Ende August / End of August, 44
from Zu den Akten / Ad Acta (1964)
Alte Postkarten / Old Postcards, 48
Neue Postkarten / New Postcards, 52
Bericht aus einem Kurort / Report from a Spa, 56
Nachhut / Rearguard, 58
Rest / Remnant, 60
Alte Hollander / Old Dutch Masters, 62
Bruder Grimm / Brothers Grimm, 64
Zu spat fur Bescheidenheit / Too Late for Modesty, 66
Bestellung / Order, 68
Tragtasche / Holdall, 70
Ohne Unterschrift / Unsigned, 72
Jaques Devant, fur Viele / Jaques Devant, for the Many, 74
Aufgelassenes Zollamt / Old Customshouse, 76
Aussicht vom Spezial-Keller / Perspective from the Spezial-Keller, 78
Zunahme / Increase, 80
Auskunft e aus dem Nachlass / Tips from the Posthumous Papers, 82
Ungultige Landkarte / Fraudulent Map, 84
Topographie einer schoneren Welt / Topography of a Better World, 86
Fussnote zu Rom / Roman Footnote, 88
from Anlässe und Steingärten / Occasions and Rock Gardens (1966)
Timetable / Timetable, 92
Berlin 1918 / Berlin, 1918, 94
Kinder-und Hausmarchen / Fairy Tales, 96
Rauchbier / Rauchbier, 98
Alte Postkarten / Old Postcards, 100
Neue Postkarten / New Postcards, 106
Weitgereist / Traveling Far, 110
Fortschritt / Progress, 112
Halb / Half, 114
Satzzeichen / Punctuation Marks, 116
Zwei / Two, 118
Bett huten / Confi ned to Bed, 120
Schluss eines Kriminalromans / Th e End of the Th riller, 122
Armer Sonntag / Poor Sunday, 124
Verspatung / Delayed, 126
Lange Gedichte / Long Poems, 128
Nach Seumes Papieren / From Seume's Papers (1972)
Nordlicher Seufzer / Northern Sigh, 134
Stadtrand / Edge of Town, 136
Philologisch / Philological, 138
Nach dem Ende der Biographie / Aft er Setting Down
the Biography, 140
Optik / Optics, 142
Namen / Names, 144
Steuererklarung / Tax Declaration, 146
Augsburg / Augsburg, 148
Nach Seumes Papieren / From Seume's Papers, 150
Spater / Later, 152
from Uncollected Poems and Poems from Radio Plays
Der Regen in Eltville / The Rain in Eltville, 156
Plane / Plans, 158
Vorwinter / Early Winter, 160
Alter Dezember / Old December, 162
Nomaden / Nomads, 164
Freund und Horazleser / Friend and Reader of Horace, 166
aus: Träume / from: Dreams, 168
Handel / Handel, 180
Napoleon denkt an Josephine / Napoleon Remembers Josephine, 182
Lange Gedichte / Long Poems, 184
Die vorige Woche / Last Week, 186
Und / And, 188
Landgasthof / Rustic Hotel, 190
Klinikfarben / Hospital Colors, 192
Vom Gluck / Of Happiness, 194