Help, Please

CHRISTINELESLEY · 03-09-2007, 10:46 AM

Can anyone translate the following passages into English for me or even tell me which books they are from? Our son is marrying a German girl and there is a tradition that the mothers of the bride and groom produce a wedding newspaper which includes relevent quotes. The bride's mother would like to include the following quotes from Hermann Hesse, but I need to have them translated so that the English guests can also understand them.

Wir verlangen, das Leben müsse
einen Sinn haben – aber es hat nur
ganz genau soviel Sinn, als wir
selber ihm zu geben imstande sind.
Hermann Hesse

Es ist nicht unsere Aufgabe, einander näher zu kommen, so wenig
wie Sonne und Mond zueinander kommen oder Meer und Land.
Unser Ziel ist, einander zu erkennen und einer im anderen das zu sehen und ehren zu lernen, was er ist: des anderen Gegenstück und Ergänzung.
Hermann Hesse

Many thanks

Christine

mousemouse · 03-09-2007, 01:43 PM

Neither German nor English are my first language, but I would translate it this way:
"We demand that life
must have a meaning - but it has only
as much meaning as we
are ourselves able to give to it

(the last it could be replaced with "life" for a better effect.)

mousemouse · 03-09-2007, 01:50 PM

Oh Sorry, missed the second quote. I think that should go like this:
"It is not our task to come closer to each other, just as little as it is the task of the sun and the moon to come together.
Our goal is to aknowledge each other and to learn to see and honnour what the other person is: The other's counterpart and completion.

Hope someone else will read this one as well, I'm not too sure about it.

CHRISTINELESLEY · 03-09-2007, 04:24 PM

Thank you so much for your help - really appreciated.

03-09-2007, 10:46 AM	#1
CHRISTINELESLEY Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 4	Help, Please Can anyone translate the following passages into English for me or even tell me which books they are from? Our son is marrying a German girl and there is a tradition that the mothers of the bride and groom produce a wedding newspaper which includes relevent quotes. The bride's mother would like to include the following quotes from Hermann Hesse, but I need to have them translated so that the English guests can also understand them. Wir verlangen, das Leben müsse einen Sinn haben – aber es hat nur ganz genau soviel Sinn, als wir selber ihm zu geben imstande sind. Hermann Hesse Es ist nicht unsere Aufgabe, einander näher zu kommen, so wenig wie Sonne und Mond zueinander kommen oder Meer und Land. Unser Ziel ist, einander zu erkennen und einer im anderen das zu sehen und ehren zu lernen, was er ist: des anderen Gegenstück und Ergänzung. Hermann Hesse Many thanks Christine

03-09-2007, 04:24 PM	#4
CHRISTINELESLEY Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 4	Many thanks Thank you so much for your help - really appreciated.

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03-09-2007, 01:43 PM	#2
mousemouse Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 47	Neither German nor English are my first language, but I would translate it this way: "We demand that life must have a meaning - but it has only as much meaning as we are ourselves able to give to it (the last it could be replaced with "life" for a better effect.)

03-09-2007, 01:50 PM	#3
mousemouse Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 47	Oh Sorry, missed the second quote. I think that should go like this: "It is not our task to come closer to each other, just as little as it is the task of the sun and the moon to come together. Our goal is to aknowledge each other and to learn to see and honnour what the other person is: The other's counterpart and completion. Hope someone else will read this one as well, I'm not too sure about it.