Round 2
The Oxford German Olympiad's traditional second round of competitions is now open for entries - and H.C. Artmann is part of it! Have a go at writing a literary version of a poem by H.C. Artmann OR write a commentary. The competition is open to German learners in Yrs 12-13 (age 17-18) and undergraduates. Read the entry guidelines and the poems here. Submit your entry here. Good luck!
HC Artmann
The Austrian poet HC Artmann is probably most famous for his early poetry collection, which he wrote in Viennese dialect, although he also wrote a great deal in standard German. His collection, med ana schwoazzn dintn (meaning “mit einer schwarzen Tinte”/“with a black ink”), was published in 1958. Many of his Viennese poems are characterised by grotesque, sometimes morbid imagery and themes, like the poem in this link. He shows that poetry written in German dialects are far from "quaint" or less formally and thematically ambitious.
In the poem “kindafazara”, which deals with the subject of child abduction (a “Kinderverzerrer” is a person who “removes” – “verzerrt”– children) in the jocular sing-song of a counting rhyme, this contrast becomes particularly evident.
Have a go at reading the poem "kindafazara" - and then listen to HC Artmann reading it. Can you follow the words? Have a go at translating it into English!
| kindafazara (Original) | (in High German) |
|
kölaschdiang kölaschdiang dreimoi deafst rodn ans zwa drei ans zwa drei wea duatn schded met da zitrechn haund met de zitrechn aung dreimoi deafsd rodn wea duatn hogt met de zitrechn aung met da zitrechn haund
kölaschdiang kölaschdiang da ma r an schen graunz flechtn! ans zwa drei ans zwa drei drei glane granzaln fia drei glane maln auf da kölaschdiang
met da zitrechn haund med de zitrechn aung ans zwa drei… |
kellertreppe, kellertreppe (Stiege = Treppe) drei mal darfst du raten eins zwei drei eins zwei drei wer dort steht mit der zittrigen hand mit den zittrigen augen drei mal darfst du raten wer dort sitzt mit den zittrigen augen mit der zittrigen hand
kellertreppe, kellertreppe flechten wir einen schönen kranz eins zwei drei eins zwei drei drei kleine kränzchen für drei kleine mädchen auf der kellerstiege
mit der zittrigen hand mit den zittrigen augen eins zwei drei |
| High German translation by Katharina Laszlo. |
HC Artmann even discussed the nature of Mundartliteratur in his own dialect poetry. Have a listen to his poem "nua ka schmoez how e xogt!" - you can read the poem here.