Mascha Kaléko was born in 1907 in Schidlow (now Chrzanów in Poland). She moved with her family to the west and settled in Berlin in 1918 where she finished school and worked as a secretary. She started writing poetry and her work was published regularly with much success in newspapers and magazines from 1929 onwards. Her first book appeared in 1933 and another followed in early 1935 before her writings were banned under Nazism. She emigrated to the U.S. with her husband and son in 1938. The family lived in New York City for 20 years until they emigrated to Israel in 1959. After the deaths of her son and her husband, the lonely poet considered returning to Germany, but she herself was too ill and died in 1975 in Zurich while traveling back to Jerusalem from a visit to Berlin.
From Mascha Kaléko: Sämtliche Werke und Briefe in vier Bänden
© 2012 dtv Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, München.
© 2012 dtv Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, München.
Frühling über Berlin
Sonne klebt wie festgekittet.
Bäume tun, als ob sie blühn.
Und der blaue Himmel schüttet
Eine Handvoll Wolken hin.
Großstadtqualm statt Maiendüfte.
– Frühling über Groß-Berlin! –
Süße, wohlbekannte Düfte…
Stammen höchstens von Benzin.
Durch den Grunewald lustwandelt
Eine biedre Keglerschar.
Eine Laute wird mißhandelt
Durch ein Wandervogelpaar.
Sonntags gehts mit der Verwandtschaft
(Meist jedoch mit Frollein Braut)
In die märkische Streusandlandschaft
Wo man seinen Kaffee braut.
Sommerabendparkgeflüster…
Junges Pärchen auf der Bank.
– Doch das ältere Register
Sitzt im Gartenrestaurang.
Mütter schieben ihren Jüngsten
Auf den sonnigen Balkon.
Und zwei Weekends hinter Pfingsten
Hat die Liebe Hochsaison…
Springtime over Berlin
Sun is stuck as if cemented.
Trees pretending that they sprout.
Blue sky throws well-ornamented
Just a handful clouds about.
City smog and not May's fragrance–
Springtime over Great-Berlin!
–Sweet and well-familiar fragrance…
Comes at best from gasoline.
Through the Grunewald are strolling
Skittle-Players here and there.
And a lute sounds just appalling
As it's used by hiking pair.
With the family ev'ry weekend
(Typically it's with the bride, ofcourse)
Hiking in the sandy upland
Where the coffee 's made outside.
Summer night park conversation…
Pair of lovers on the bench.
– But the older generation
Sits in garden-restaurench.
Mothers start to place their youngster
On the sunny balcony.
And two weekends after Easter
Love 's in season heavily…
Translated Andreas Nolte
Andreas Nolte was born in Germany in 1961. He moved to the US in 1988 while working as a financial analyst for a German company. He obtained a Master's degree in German literature from the University of Vermont and has published books and articles on various topics, especially poetry, exile, and proverbs. Since the summer of 2009, he is a high school teacher at Burlington High School in Vermont.
