A bilingual edition of one of the most important German poets of the twentieth centuryThis is the most comprehensive English translation of the work of Günter Eich, one of the greatest postwar German poets. The author of the POW poem "Inventory," among one of the most famous lyrics in the German language, Eich was rivaled only by Paul Celan as the leading poet in the generation after Gottfried Benn and Bertolt Brecht. Expertly translated and introduced by Michael Hofmann, this collection gathers eighty poems, many drawn from Eich's later work and most of them translated here for the first time. The volume also includes the original German texts on facing pages.As an early member of "Gruppe 47" (from which Günter Grass and Heinrich Böll later shot to prominence), Eich (1907-72) was at the vanguard of an effort to restore German as a language for poetry after the vitriol, propaganda, and lies of the Third Reich. Short and clear, these are timeless poems in which the ominousness of fairy tales meets the delicacy and suggestiveness of Far Eastern poetry. In his late poems, he writes frequently, movingly, and often wryly of infirmity and illness. "To my mind," Hofmann writes, "there's something in Eich of Paul Klee's pictures: both are homemade, modest in scale, immediately delightful, inventive, cogent."Unjustly neglected in English, Eich finds his ideal translator here.

Acknowledgments, xiIntroduction, xiii
from Abgelegene Gehöfte / Remote Smallholdings (1948)Abgelegene Gehofte / Remote Smallholdings, 2Pfannkuchenrezept / Recipe for Pancakes, 4Camp 16 / Camp 16, 6Inventur / Inventory, 8Erster Januar / First of January, 12
from Botschaft en des Regens / Messages from the Rain (1955)Ende eines Sommers / End of Summer, 16Gegenwart / Th e Present, 18D-Zug Munchen-Frankfurt / Munich-Frankfurt Express, 22Kleine Reparatur / Minor Repair, 24Weg zum Bahnhof / Way to the Station, 26Lemberg / Lvov, 28Andenken / Memorial, 30Wo ich wohne / Where I Live, 32Reise / Journey, 34Mittags um zwei / Two in the Aft ernoon, 36Betrachtet die Fingerspitzen / Examine Your Fingertips, 38Briefstelle / From a Letter, 40Einsicht / Understanding, 42Ende August / End of August, 44
from Zu den Akten / Ad Acta (1964)Alte Postkarten / Old Postcards, 48Neue Postkarten / New Postcards, 52Bericht aus einem Kurort / Report from a Spa, 56Nachhut / Rearguard, 58Rest / Remnant, 60Alte Hollander / Old Dutch Masters, 62Bruder Grimm / Brothers Grimm, 64Zu spat fur Bescheidenheit / Too Late for Modesty, 66Bestellung / Order, 68Tragtasche / Holdall, 70Ohne Unterschrift / Unsigned, 72Jaques Devant, fur Viele / Jaques Devant, for the Many, 74Aufgelassenes Zollamt / Old Customshouse, 76Aussicht vom Spezial-Keller / Perspective from the Spezial-Keller, 78Zunahme / Increase, 80Auskunft e aus dem Nachlass / Tips from the Posthumous Papers, 82Ungultige Landkarte / Fraudulent Map, 84Topographie einer schoneren Welt / Topography of a Better World, 86Fussnote zu Rom / Roman Footnote, 88
from Anlässe und Steingärten / Occasions and Rock Gardens (1966)Timetable / Timetable, 92Berlin 1918 / Berlin, 1918, 94Kinder-und Hausmarchen / Fairy Tales, 96Rauchbier / Rauchbier, 98Alte Postkarten / Old Postcards, 100Neue Postkarten / New Postcards, 106Weitgereist / Traveling Far, 110Fortschritt / Progress, 112Halb / Half, 114Satzzeichen / Punctuation Marks, 116Zwei / Two, 118Bett huten / Confi ned to Bed, 120Schluss eines Kriminalromans / Th e End of the Th riller, 122Armer Sonntag / Poor Sunday, 124Verspatung / Delayed, 126Lange Gedichte / Long Poems, 128Nach Seumes Papieren / From Seume's Papers (1972)Nordlicher Seufzer / Northern Sigh, 134Stadtrand / Edge of Town, 136Philologisch / Philological, 138Nach dem Ende der Biographie / Aft er Setting Downthe Biography, 140Optik / Optics, 142Namen / Names, 144Steuererklarung / Tax Declaration, 146Augsburg / Augsburg, 148Nach Seumes Papieren / From Seume's Papers, 150Spater / Later, 152
from Uncollected Poems and Poems from Radio PlaysDer Regen in Eltville / The Rain in Eltville, 156Plane / Plans, 158Vorwinter / Early Winter, 160Alter Dezember / Old December, 162Nomaden / Nomads, 164Freund und Horazleser / Friend and Reader of Horace, 166aus: Träume / from: Dreams, 168Handel / Handel, 180Napoleon denkt an Josephine / Napoleon Remembers Josephine, 182Lange Gedichte / Long Poems, 184Die vorige Woche / Last Week, 186Und / And, 188Landgasthof / Rustic Hotel, 190Klinikfarben / Hospital Colors, 192Vom Gluck / Of Happiness, 194