In this episode, Katharine talks about the poem that has been a friend to her – ‘Dich’ / ‘You’ by Erich Fried.

We are delighted to feature ‘Dich’ / ‘You’ in this episode and would like to thank Verlag Klaus Wagenbach for allowing us to use it in this way.

Katharine visited The Poetry Exchange at St Chad's College Chapel in Durham, during Durham Book Festival, in association with Durham University Foundation Programme. We’re very grateful to all our Durham partners for hosting us so warmly.

Katharine is in conversation with The Poetry Exchange team members, Michael Shaeffer and Andrea Witzke-Slot.

‘Dich’ / ‘You' is read by Michael Shaeffer.

*****

Dich

By Eric Fried

Dich

dich sein lassen

ganz dich

Sehen, daß du nur du bist

wenn du alles bist

was du bist

das Zarte

und das Wilde

das was sich anschmiegen

und das was sich loßreißen will

Wer nur die Hälfte liebt

der liebt dich nicht halb

sondern gar nicht

der will dich zurechtschneiden

amputieren

verstümmeln

Dich dich sein lassen

ob das schwer oder leicht ist?

Es kommt nicht darauf an mit wieviel

Vorbedacht und Verstand

sondern mit wieviel Liebe und mit wieviel

offener Sehnsucht nach allem –

nach allem

was du ist

Nach der Wärme

und nach der Kälte

nach der Güte

und nach dem Starrsinn

nach deinem Willen

und Unwillen

nach jeder deiner Gebärden

nach deiner Ungebärdigkeit

Unstetigkeit

Stetigkeit

Dann

ist dieses

dich dich sein lassen

vielleicht

gar nicht so schwer

‘Dich’ by Erich Fried from 'Es ist was es ist’ © 1983 Verlag Klaus Wagenbach, Berlin

*********

Below is a translation of the poem, published in ‘Love Poems’ by Erich Fried, trans. Stuart Hood, available from Alma Classics.

You

By Erich Fried

You

to let you be you

all you

To see

that you are only you

when you’re everything

that you are

the tender one

and the wild one

that wants to break free

and wants to come close

Whoever loves the half

loves you not by half

but not at all

wants to cut you to size

to amputate

to maim you

To let you be you

is it hard or easy?

It’s not a matter of how much

forethought and understanding

but of how much love and how much

open longing for everything –

for all

that is you

For the warmth

and the coldness

for the goodness

and obstinacy

for your wilfulness

and unwillingness

for each of your gestures

for your awkwardness

inconstancy

constancy

Then this

letting you be you

maybe isn’t so difficult

after all

Fried, Erich. Love Poems (Alma Classics)

The extract about translation quoted by Fiona on the Intro to this episode is from Kiki Dimoula’s book The Brazen Plagiarist, selected poems translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser published by Yale University Press.

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