Finally, learning German, struggling with its eight different kinds of plural endings, vomiting blood over the conjugation of the verbs and desperately fighting the need to spit A LOT while speaking, has paid off.

Today, I listened to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for the first time since I started learning German. The choral fourth movement, the famous Ode To Joy, lifted me up to a whole new level, and it was quite, quite breathtaking. Of course, I was far from fully understanding the lyrics to the poem, but even the little bit I did understand made a world of a difference. All my life, I've only had the English translation floating about somewhere in my brain while I listened. Hearing and (partially) understanding it in its original language was like I had recovered from deafness, and was listening to real voices instead of reading hand signs. There was a sense of power and unity in the music that I had never been able to hear before, and the sensation of it all washing over me was nothing short of amazing. I await the day, however far away it may be, that I am able to embrace the lyrics in its full context.

Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

scribbled
12:41 AM