I look in the mirror, and all I see......

Hello dears!

I have had a tough few days prior to this one, but I wanted to show you my poem for the "100 Bilder - 100 Geschichten" competition still. The picture showed a parcel which was partly broken, hence the... Ah, you will see!

Das Geschenk

Das Paket war angekommen und schon, so nahm man an,
Waren darin die Geschenke präsent für jedermann.
Schleunigst wurd‘ geöffnet, was der Karton versprach,
Doch als sie hineinblickten, lagen die Gefühle brach:
Ein schmutziges Paar Schuhe und ein angenagter Brief,
Was immer angekommen, betrachtete man schief.

„Ich habe nichts zu geben“, so sprach nun das Papier,
„Doch diese Schuhe trugen mich von euch bereits zu mir.
Und obwohl die Wege schwer und steinig waren, war
Der Gedanke an die schöne Zeit mit euch stets für mich da.
Das Leben jedoch hat nun and’res mit mir vor,
Doch bevor ich gehen muss, nur ein Wort in meinem Ohr:
Sende! Send‘ das Leben den Kindern nur zum Dank,
Auf dass sie leben lernen, und niemals werden krank.“

Translation (roughly, as always):

The Gift

The parcel arrived and already, one expected,
There were gifts present for everyone.
Quickly one opened what the cardboard promised,
But when they looked inside, the feelings lay idle:
A dirty pair of shoes and a letter eaten away,
Whatever arrived one looked at disapprovingly.

"I have nothing to give", the paper spoke now,
"But these shoes carried me from you to me already.
And even when the paths were hard and rocky, there was
The thought of the beautiful time with you always there for me.
Life, however, has something else planned for me,
But before I have to leave, only a word in my ear:
Send! Send life to the children just to thank them,
May they learn living and never become ill."

...

I hope you like it! I tried to stay as close to the original translation-wise in English, but there is a rhyming scheme still viewable in the original poem (a fairly easy one, I have to admit.).

Have a lovely rest of the day!