Monday 24 April 2017

The German Mind and The Axioms of Gothic Thought

A letter of 5 November 1777 to Mozart’s cousin Maria Anna Thekla Mozart is an example of Mozart’s use of scatology. The German original is in rhymed verse "

"Well, I wish you good night
But first shit in your bed and make it burst.
Sleep soundly, my love
Into your mouth your arse you’ll shove."


Mozart’s canon “Leck mich im Arsch” K. 231 (K6 382c) includes the lyrics:

"Leck mich im A[rsch] g’schwindi, g’schwindi!"

This would be translated into English as 

“lick me in the arse/ass, quickly, quickly!”.

“Leck mich im Arsch” is a standard vulgarism in German. The closest English counterpart is 

“Kiss my arse/ass”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_and_scatology



Du musst amboss oder Hammer sein.
You Must Be Anvil or Hammer.
- Goethe


In modern German, "Lieber Hammer als Amboss" (Better to be the hammer than the anvil) is a fairly common proverb.



"In real life it is always the anvil that breaks the hammer, never the other way about."
-George Orwell 
"Politics and the English Language"


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