Originally Posted by
elebl
There's more to Peter Schilling than Major Tom!
"Das Prinzip Mensch" is moody soft rock. I like the slow build of this song. It's very soothing and philosophisch.
Of course, being all philosophical, the song had plenty of tricky spots. I've marked the places I had trouble translating with an asterisk (*).
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Was erklärst du deinem Kind,
What do you tell your child
Wenn es zu versteh´n beginnt
when they begin to understand
Und das Leben nicht kennt?
and [when they] aren't yet familiar with life?
* Fragen die es an dich stellt,
Questions that they line up for you
* Sind das Universum dieser Welt,
are the universe of this world,
Neuentdeckt und noch so fremd.
newly-discovered and still so strange.
* Das was es sucht, das was es lenkt
"Es" refers most likely to "das Kind"= what it is looking for, the direction it takes
That which seeks them out, that which steers them,
Ist das Prinzip Mensch.
is the human principle. ["the principle of humanity"]
Jedes Minus hat sein Plus,
Every negative has its positive.
Jeder Anfang seinen Schluss,
Every beginning [has] its end.
Jedes Chaos hat sein System.
Every chaos has its system.
* Das was uns sucht, findet und lenkt
what we are looking for...
That which seeks us out, finds [us] and steers [us],
Ist das Prinzip Mensch.
is the human principle.
Das was wir fragen hat keine Namen,
That which we ask [for] has no name,
* keine Zahlen, ist keine Fusti.
[has] no number, and isn't a worthless thing. [From what I can tell, "Fusti" means stem. It might have a negative connotation of being worthless or small? I'm not positive on that one. It could be a typo in the lyrics. Sounds kind of like "Physik" to me.]
NB: ???Fusti?? Have never heard such word!
Wir können nur fragen, suchen und ahnen,
We can only ask, seek out, and suspect"think we know"
Denn eine Antwort, gibt es nicht.
that there's not [really] an answer.
* Das Wunder bist du, in jedem Moment,
The wonder you are in every moment,
You are the miracle, always,
* Denn was in dir lebt,
BECAUSE INSIDE YOU LIVES THE HUMAN PRINCIPLE
[that] what lives in you,
Ist das Prinzip Mensch.
is the human principle.
* Was bestimmt, wohin wir gehn,
What is certain, where [do] we go to, WHAT DEFINES WHERE WE GO TO
* Wer erklärt uns das Versteh´n,
who will explain the [big] concept[s] ["who explains things so we understand them"]
Und das Ende der Ewigkeit?
and the end of eternity to us?.
Woher kommt mein Gefühl für mich?
Where do my own feelings come from?
Warum denk ich und fühl für dich?
Why do I think and feel for you?
Logisch ist nur das, was ich weis.
"Logical" [things are] only that which I know.
Was uns verbindet und gleichzeitig trennt,
What binds us and, at the same time, separates [us]
Ist das Prinzip Mensch.
is the human principle.
Das was wir fragen hat keine Namen,
That which we ask [for] has no name,
* keine Zahlen, ist keine Fusti.
[has] no number, and isn't a worthless thing.
Wir können nur fragen, suchen und ahnen,
We can only ask, seek out, and suspect THINK WE MIGHT KNOW
Denn eine Antwort, gibt es nicht.
that there's not [really] an answer.
* Das Wunder bist du, in jedem Moment,
The wonder you are in every moment, YOU ARE ALWAYS THE HUMAN MIRACLE
* Denn was in dir lebt,
[that] what lives in you,
Ist das Prinzip Mensch.
is the human principle.
Peter Schilling -- Das Prinzip Mensch
"ahnen" means "think we know", better than suspect
Hallo Tahira
