Tinget i sig (av Hjalmar Gullberg, 1935)
The Thing In Itself (by Hjalmar Gullberg, 1935)

1. En vinterafton läser Örtstedt Kant
och finner honom verkligt intressant.
[1a. One winter evening Oertstedt is reading Kant
and finds him really interesting.]
1b. One winter night the assistant is reading Kant
and finding him quite interesting and —–.

2. Men filosofens tyska flyter tungt.
Snart somnar över boken vår adjunkt.
[2a. But the philosopher’s German is heavy-flowing.
Soon our assistant falls asleep over the book.]
2b. But German heavy metaphysics bores.
Soon over the book the master’s assistant snores.

3. I nattens dröm gror dagens tankesådd.
Kant illustreras och blir lättförstådd.
[3a. In the dream of the night grows the day’s seed of thoughts.
Kant is illustrated and becomes easy to grasp.]
3b. In that night’s dream, an illustrated Kant,
an easy one, is growing like a plant.

4. Det kommer, svept i brokig omslagsfärg,
till Örtstedt ett paket från Königsberg.
[4a. There arrives, wrapped in gaudy colours,
for Oertstedt a package from Koenigsberg.]
4b. There arrives a box in gaudy colours wrapped,
from Koenigsberg to the thinker who has napped.

5. Aktas för stötar! står det utanpå
med petig stil som verkar rokoko.
[5a. Handle with care! is written on the outside
with meticulous handwriting that seems to be rococo.]
5b. Handle with care! is written on that —
in meticulous hand – it looks old and —-

6. Avsändare och varans fabrikant
är ingen mindre än professor Kant.
[6a. Sender and manufacturer of the article
is no one less than Professor Kant.]
6b. Sender and the article’s producing hand
is none less than the famous Immanuel Kant.

7. Han granskar lådan vid sin fönsternisch.
Det står som innehåll: DAS DING AN SICH.
[7a. He examines the box at his window-bay.
The content is said to be: THE THING IN ITSELF.]
7b. He examines the thing at his bay-window shelf.
The content is said to be: THE THING IN ITSELF.

8. Kring tinget i sig själv, de vises sten,
är sinnevärlden blott ett brokigt sken.
[8a. Around the thing in itself, the philosopher’s stone,
the material world is just a motley semblance.]
8b. Around and about such a Philosopher’s Stone,
our material world is just ——————

9. Vem törs dock rycka undan slöjan kring
den rena verkligheten, tingens ting?
[9a. Who then dares wrench that wrapping veil away from
the pure reality, the thing of things?]
9b. Who dares wrench the wrapping veil from the thing;
this pure thing of things, reality ——

10. Adjunkten Örtstedt ryggar bort bestört
från det som ingen sett och ingen rört.
[10a. Assistant Oertstedt backs away in dismay
from that which none has seen and none has touched.]
10b. The master’s assistant backs away in dismay
from a thing unimaginable, a word impossible to say.

11. Om gåvan i hans grova händer sprack!
– Han returnerar den med tusen tack.
[11a. What if the gift in his coarse hands will crack!
– He returns it with a thousand thanks.]
11b. What if this gift in such coarse hands will crack !
— With many thanks he sends it back.