Saturday, November 30, 2024
Are We Not Worse Off Every Day?
Goethe, Faust, Part I, lines 846-851 (tr. Walter Arndt):
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No, I don't like him, the new burgomaster!The same (tr. Stuart Atkins):
Now that he's in, he just gets bolder faster.
And for the town what is he doing, pray?
Are we not worse off every day?
It's Do-what-you-are-told as never,
And fork out taxes more than ever.
Nein, er gefällt mir nicht, der neue Burgemeister!
Nun, da ers ist, wird er nur täglich dreister,
Und für die Stadt was tut denn er?
Wird es nicht alle Tage schlimmer?
Gehorchen soll man mehr als immer
Und zahlen mehr als je vorher.
No, our new burgomaster doesn't suit me!
Now he's in, he gets more high-handed every day.
And what is he doing for the city?
Aren't things getting steadily worse?
More than ever we're told what we must do,
and it all costs more than ever before.
