{"id":14003,"date":"2012-09-23T22:18:43","date_gmt":"2012-09-24T02:18:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=14003"},"modified":"2012-09-23T23:36:19","modified_gmt":"2012-09-24T03:36:19","slug":"sonderling-sunday-pu-der-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=14003","title":{"rendered":"Sonderling Sunday – Pu der B\u00e4r"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Sonderling Sunday again! Where I look up Handy Phrases and their translations in German, using the pages of children’s books. I’ve decided to mix it up a little, going back to Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge<\/em> every other time, but looking at other books in between. Tonight I frittered away most of the day (okay, I finished a book), so I don’t have much time, and I am going to dip into the first chapter of Pu der B\u00e4r<\/em>, fondly known as Winnie-the-Pooh<\/em><\/p>\n

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What a surprise! Most German editions are longer than the English edition, but my American paperback has 163 pages, and the German only 157. You can see they used larger pages, so perhaps that is the secret. The book does include the Ernest Shepard illustrations, colored.<\/p>\n

I’m going to skip the Introduction, though it has some fun bits, because I want to dip into the main text. Chapter I is titled, “In Which We Are Introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees, and the Stories Begin” In German, this becomes: ERSTES KAPITEL In welchem wir Winnie-dem-Pu und einigen Bienen vorgestellt werden und die Geschichten beginnen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ah! Let’s start with the classic first sentence:
\n“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.”<\/p>\n

Translated:
\nHier kommt nun Eduard B\u00e4r die Treppe herunter rumpeldipumpel, auf dem Hinterkopf, hinter Christopher Robin.<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you catch that word? rumpeldipumpel<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Later we have “bumping” = Gerumpel<\/em><\/p>\n

“a growly voice” = eine Brummstimme<\/em><\/p>\n

“an open place in the middle of the forest” = eine freie Stelle inmitten des Waldes<\/em><\/p>\n

“from the top of the tree, there came a loud buzzing-noise” = vom Wipfel des Baumes kam ein lautes Summger\u00e4usch<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a good sentence to know:
\n“The only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I<\/em> know of is because you’re a bee.” =
\nDer einzige Grund daf\u00fcr, ein Summger\u00e4usch zu machen, den <\/em>ich kenne, ist, dass man eine Biene ist.<\/em><\/p>\n

“He began to climb the tree.” = Begann er den Baum hinaufzuklettern<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Now, I have to give the translation of the entire song Pooh sang to himself. It’s longer in German, but the translator did an admirable job.<\/p>\n

Isn’t it funny
\nHow a bear likes honey
\nBuzz! Buzz! Buzz!
\nI wonder why he does?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This becomes:
\n<\/p>\n

Ich frage mich seit Jahr und Tag,
\nWarum ein B\u00e4r den Honig mag.
\nSumm! Summ! Summ!
\nIch frage mich: warum?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

(Literally translated: “I ask myself each year and day,
\nWhy a bear the honey likes.
\nBuzz! Buzz! Buzz!
\nI ask myself: Why?”)<\/p>\n

In the second song, the translator changed the rhyme scheme from AABB to ABAB:<\/p>\n

It’s a very funny thought that, if Bears were Bees,
\nThey’d build their nests at the bottom<\/em> of trees.
\nAnd that being so (if the Bees were Bears),
\nWe shouldn’t have to climb up all these stairs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He adds a little internal rhyme, but it doesn’t quite duplicate the feel of the original:<\/p>\n

Schon seltsam, dass, wenn B\u00e4ren Bienen w\u00e4ren,
\nDann w\u00e4re ihnen auch ein Nest ganz unten eigen,
\nUnd wenn es dann so w\u00e4re (die Bienen w\u00e4ren B\u00e4ren),
\nDann brauchten wir auch nicht so hoch zu steigen.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More goodies:<\/p>\n

“a Complaining Song” = ein Beklage-Lied<\/em><\/p>\n

Alas! We totally miss the fun of A. A. Milne’s use of Capital Letters, because ALL the German nouns are capitalized. Oh well!<\/p>\n

“Oh, help!” = Ach, Hilfe!<\/em><\/p>\n

“bounced” = aufprallte<\/em><\/p>\n

“head-over-heels” = kopf\u00fcber<\/em> (They leave out the “heels”!)<\/p>\n

“said good-bye” = verabschiedete<\/em><\/p>\n

“gorse-bush” = Stechginsterbusch<\/em><\/p>\n

“brushed the prickles from his nose” = wischte sich die Stacheln von der Nase<\/em><\/p>\n

“Which is most likely?” = Was ist am wahrscheinlichsten?<\/em><\/p>\n

Ah, and a favorite line that, alas!, is not the same in German:
\n“You never can tell with bees.” = Bei bienen kann man nie wissen.<\/em><\/p>\n

“just in case” = f\u00fcr alle F\u00e4lle<\/em><\/p>\n

This is good in German:
\n“a very muddy place” = einer sehr schlammigen Stelle<\/em><\/p>\n

“rolled and rolled” = w\u00e4ltzte und w\u00e4ltzte<\/em><\/p>\n

“suspicious” = argw\u00f6hnisch<\/em><\/p>\n

This classic line I also don’t like to see changed:
\n“Tut-tut, it looks like rain.” = Tz, tz, es sieht nach Regen aus.<\/em><\/p>\n

“laughed to yourself” = in dich hineingelacht<\/em><\/p>\n

“Silly old bear!” = Dummer alter B\u00e4r!<\/em><\/p>\n

Another Handy Phrase:
\n“Shall I put my umbrella up?” = Soll ich meinen Regenschirm aufspannen?<\/em><\/p>\n

“a little Cloud Song” = ein kleines Wolkenlied<\/em><\/p>\n

And I have to include the Cloud Song:<\/p>\n

How sweet to be a Cloud
\nFloating in the Blue!
\nEvery little cloud
\nAlways<\/em> sings aloud.<\/p>\n

“How sweet to be a Cloud
\nFloating in the Blue!”
\nIt makes him very proud
\nTo be a little cloud.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Auf Deutsch:<\/p>\n

Als Wolke so im Blauen schweben,
\nDas ist und bleibt das wahre Leben!
\nWenn ringsherum der Himmel blaut,
\nSingt jede schwarze Wolke laut:<\/p>\n

\u00bbAls Wolke so im Blauen schweben,
\nDas ist und bleibt das wahre Leben!\u00ab
\nSie f\u00fchlt sich, wenn es blaut,
\nSehr wohl in ihrer Haut.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let’s see, back to literal English, I make that something like:
\n“As clouds in the blue float
\nIt is and stays the true life!
\nWhen around the sky blue,
\nsings each black cloud loud:<\/p>\n

“‘As clouds in the blue float
\nIt is and stays the true life!’
\nHe feels, when the sky is blue,
\nVery well in his own skin.”<\/p>\n

This is just a good sentence to know:
\nThe bees were still buzzing as suspiciously as ever.” = Die Bienen summten immer noch so argw\u00f6hnnisch wie eh und je.<\/em><\/p>\n

“very important decision” = sehr wichtigen Entschluss<\/em><\/p>\n

“aimed” = gezielt<\/em><\/p>\n

“miss” = verfehlt<\/em><\/p>\n

“That day when Pooh and Piglet tried to catch the Heffalump” = Der Tag, an dem Pu und Ferkel versuchten das Heffalump zu fangen<\/em><\/p>\n

And, since I’ve gone this far, I must include the last sentence of the chapter:<\/p>\n

He nodded and went out, and in a moment I heard Winnie-the-Pooh — bump, bump, bump<\/em> — going up the stairs behind him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Er nickte und ging hinaus, und einen Augenblick sp\u00e4ter h\u00f6rte ich, wie Winnie-der-Pu — <\/em>rumpeldipumpel — hinter ihm die Treppe hinaufging.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And now I must go to bed myself — rumpeldipumpel<\/em>. Next week’s KidLitCon<\/a>, so I hope to be back with Sonderling Sunday in two weeks!<\/p>\n

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