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Bertolt Brecht Translations

Bertolt Brecht Translations

These are my modern English translations of poems written in German by Bertolt Brecht. After the poems I have translations of epigrams and quotations by Bertolt Brecht.

The Burning of the Books
by Bertolt Brecht
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

When the Regime
commanded the unlawful books to be burned,
teams of dull oxen hauled huge cartloads to the bonfires.

Then a banished writer, one of the best,
scanning the list of excommunicated texts,
became enraged: he'd been excluded!

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Rumi Translations

These are my modern English translations of poems, epigrams, sayings and quotes by Rumi. 

Elevate your words, not their volume. Rain grows flowers, not thunder.—Rumi, translation by Michael R. Burch

Forget security!
Live by the perilous sea.
Destroy your reputation, however glorious.
Become notorious.
—Rumi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Your heart’s candle is ready to be kindled.
Your soul’s void is waiting to be filled.
You can feel it, can’t you?
—Rumi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

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Your Love Is My Home

I see u in dreams 
When I woke up how real it seems 
You're not here to comfort me 
But soon I know you will be.
 
You are my star up in the sky 
That shining bright and makes me smile.
No one truly knows or understand 
That my love for you will never die.
 
Love from a distance is torturous one 
Physically absent is the only crime
But faith and trust can calm our heart 
Steadfastness and love keep us strong & alive.
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Dead Weight

When I see, 
The way you talk,
With him at your side,
I want to scream,
I want to shout,
But I know it won't get him,
By my side.
I've lost to many,
To count by now.
And you were added to the list.
I cry silent tears,
Yet still no water falls.
My face is dry,
No wet rivers left.
I can't cry,
For there is no tears,
Or anything left,
In my mind,
Or soul.
I'm just dead weight,
Waiting for the time,
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Perhaps Love Does Really Exist

Perhaps love does really exist, but the beings we are surrounded by don't know how
Perhaps there is no such thing as soulmates, but if you're blessed with loving someone who respects you back, you should stick with 'em 
Perhaps the tides come in and then receed to show us what, if anything, will be left behind after some turbulence
Perhaps we shouldn't compare struggles, feet can manage socks and hands can manage mittens
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