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Wegweiser - a poem for sobriety

Old 08-13-2014, 04:28 AM
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Wegweiser - a poem for sobriety

If you have a problem with alcohol, the road ahead - to a happy, sober life - is unclear.

The only thing you *know* is that you need to stop drinking.

This guarantees nothing beyond sobriety; but we also *know* that - even though it promises nothing - it is a prerequisite for moving our lives towards happiness.

My username is the title of a poem by the Austrian-born poet Erich Fried. The message it gives, whilst not meant for addiction, I think applies to this situation beautifully.

To the best of my knowledge it has never been translated into English. Please find my attempted translation below (with the original German below that), bearing in mind that I'm not a professional translator or writer/poet!

Replace 'injustice' with 'alcohol' and see what you think.

Here we go:

Wegweiser (Sign post/something or someone that shows you the way):

What discourages me
is that it is so difficult
to see where a path leads
to justice and to a secure future
but what gives me courage again
is that it is so easy
to see where injustice occurs
and to hate that injustice

And even though it’s not easy
to struggle against that injustice
in the act
it is not easy to lose your direction
for that injustice shines so brightly
and spreads such a strong stench
that no one should lose the tracks of injustice.

If the path to justice and to the future
is dark and hidden
then I stick to the injustice
that lies visibly in the middle of the path
and perhaps if I’m still there
after my struggle with injustice
I will recognise
a piece of the path to justice.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Struggle against alcohol...because it is the only thing we know about the path forwards...

Original German:

Wegweiser

Was mich mutlos macht
ist daß es so schwer ist
zu sehen wohin ein Weg geht
zum Recht und zur sicheren Zukunft
aber was mir dann wieder Mut macht
ist daß es so leicht ist
zu sehen wo Unrecht geschieht
und das Unrecht zu hassen

Und auch wenn es nicht leicht ist
gegen das Unrecht zu kämpfen
so verliert man dabei
doch nicht so leicht seine Richtung
denn das Unrecht leuchtet so grell
und verbreitet so starken Geruch
daß keiner die Spur des Unrechts verlieren muß

Wenn der Weg zum Recht und zur Zukunft
dunkel ist und verborgen
dann halte ich mich an das Unrecht
das liegt sichtbar mitten im Weg
und vielleicht wenn ich noch da bin
nach meinem Kampf mit dem Unrecht
werde ich dann ein Stück
vom Weg zum Recht erkennen
Wegweiser is offline  
Old 08-13-2014, 05:40 AM
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Thanks for the post, Wegweiser. I agree with the poet here and believe this approach to living falls nicely in line with what I've been taught about sobriety: that when I am hurting most for joy, the search must not be one for something to make me happy - that's the addictive way of thinking. The search must be on to help someone else. The path to happiness is indeed hidden and fleeting, but as the poet says it's easy to see "injustice" (or in the case of addiction) it's easy to find others who are hurting. We are everywhere. If I take the time to focus on others in need, then the path to personal peace reveals itself by accepting and working on the pain of others that is constantly in front of me.
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