There is a certain odd “found poem” feel to this Google Translate / automatic translation of the following poem “Zinn figuren” or “Tin Figures” by Joachim Ringelnatz.
I came across this at random in German on a German website
http://www.zinnhobby.de/zinn.php
“Tin figures”
The pewter figures are
Connection between art and child.
They portray all times.
As you walk, stand and ride
Small fairy tale from every country:
Indians, Knights, Saxons,
And what the Creator otherwise invented.
Even trees, beautifully grown,
Even houses, ships, railways,
Aircraft, cars, pelican
Like every other animal;
In short, everything and everything
Is here –
Studied by colour, form and meaning –
Beautifully formed in tin.
Sometimes tin is made of lead.
Sensibly, posed with love,
Shows the small big world.
If we still like the old,
Will this mean for me:
The pewter figures are
Connection between art and child
And us, the old people
Or Microsoft Translate’s Version.
“Pewter figures”
The pewter figures are connection between art and child.
You describe all the times.
move, stand and riding
small fairy tale stained from any country:
Indians, Knights, Saxony, and what else invented the creator.
Also trees, beautiful also grew, houses, ships, railway, aircraft, cars, Pelican,
like every other living thing.
In short, All sorts and all is here – study for colour, form and meaning – beautiful pronounced in Tin.
Sometimes is the tin lead.
Made with love, that shows useful, small big world.
If that still like us old, will that mean for me: link between art and child and us, the old people are the Tin figures.
A lot is obviously “lost in translation” or automatic translation as the saying goes. My German is “sehr rustig” but hopefully a better translation will turn up.
The original German poem:
“Zinnfiguren”
Die Zinnfiguren sind
Verbindung zwischen Kunst und Kind.
Sie schildern alle Zeiten.
Da schreiten, stehn und reiten
Klein-märchenbunt aus jedem Land:
Indianer, Ritter, Sachsen,
Und was der Schöpfer sonst erfand.
Auch Bäume, schön gewachsen,
Auch Häuser, Schiffe, Eisenbahn,
Flugzeuge, Autos, Pelikan
Wie jedes andere Getier;
Kurz: Allerlei und Jederlei
Ist hier –
Studiert nach Farbe, Form und Sinn –
Schön ausgeprägt in Zinn.
Mitunter ist das Zinn aus Blei.
Sinnvoll, mit Liebe aufgestellt,
Zeigt das im Kleinen große Welt.
Wenn das uns Alten noch gefällt,
Will das für mich bedeuten:
Die Zinnfiguren sind
Verbindung zwischen Kunst und Kind
Und uns, den alten Leuten
This poem was written by Joachim Ringelnatz (1883-1934), deutscher Schriftsteller, Kabarettist und Maler (or German writer, cabaret artist and painter).
You can find out more about this writer, banned by the Nazis as “degenerate artist” (that to me from the perspective of modern times is usually a fairly good character reference).
A former sailor, including service on minesweepers in the German Navy during WW1, Ringelnatz died destitute and penniless of TB in Berlin in 1934 after falling foul of the Nazi party in 1933.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Ringelnatz
http://www.joachim–ringelnatz.com/
This site (above) has a good brief biography in English including details of how Joachim fared when his books and his satirical poetry performances were banned by the Nazis.
http://www.beilharz.com/poetas/ringelnatz/
Source:
http://www.zinnhobby.de/zinn.php
http://www.zinnhobby.de/ website
Photographs / figures: metal moulds, vintage figures and home cast figures from Man of TIN’s collection.
Posted by Mark, Man of TIN blog, January 2017
Man of Tin blog 