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The Rudolf Steiner Archive

a project of Steiner Online Library, a public charity

Calendar of the Soul
GA 40

For more information, read this overview. Find complete calendars categorized by translator in GA 40.

Current Verse: Week 52

Wenn aus den Seelentiefen
Der Geist sich wendet zu dem Weltensein
Und Schönheit quillt aus Raumesweiten,
Dann zieht aus Himmelsfernen
Des Lebens Kraft in Menschenleiber
Und einet, machtvoll wirkend,
Des Geistes Wesen mit dem Menschensein.

—Rudolf Steiner

Corresponding Verse: Week 01

Wenn aus den Weltenweiten
Die Sonne spricht zum Menschensinn
Und Freude aus den Seelentiefen
Dem Licht sich eint im Schauen,
Dann ziehen aus der Selbstheit Hülle
Gedanken in die Raumesfernen
Und binden dumpf
Des Menschen Wesen an des Geistes Sein.

—Rudolf Steiner

When from the depths of soul
The Spirit turns toward world existence
And beauty swells from space expanses,
Then streams from farthest heavens
The life force into human bodies;
Unites with mighty action
The Spirit essence to the life of Man.

—Tr. Daisy Aldan

When out of farthest worlds
The Sun communes with sense of Man
And gladness from the depth of soul
In vision joins with light,
Then from the sheath of selfhood, thoughts
File forth toward distances of space
And dimly join
Human essence to the Spirit's being.

—Tr. Daisy Aldan

When from a soul's abyss
Spirit salutes the Being of the world
and beauty ripples in from far and wide,
then does there draw from out the vast of heaven
life with its vigour into human frames
and mighty workings do unite
actual Spirit with essential Man.

—Tr. Owen Barfield

When out from far and wide
the sun calls to the mind and sense of man
and joy from in the soul with light grows one
in act of contemplation,
thoughts from their cuticle of self break free
into the vast of space, and groping bind
unto essential Spirit actual man.

—Tr. Owen Barfield

When from the inner Soul-depths
The Spirit turns to Universal Life
And Beauty wells from far off spaces,
Then draws from Heaven's distance
The Life-force into human bodies,
And binds with powerful working
The Spirit's Being with the life of Man.

—Tr. Mabel Cotterell

When to Man's wakened Sense-life
The Sun from wide World-spaces speaks,
And gladness from the Soul's foundations
Links to the Light, beholding,
Then Thoughts escape from sheath of Selfhood
And make their way to Cosmic distance,
And dimly bind
Man's inner being to the Spirit-Life.

—Tr. Mabel Cotterell

When up from depths of soul
The spirit turns towards world existence,
And beauty wells forth everywhere from space,
Then down from heav’nly distance draws
The force of Life into man’s limbs
And strongly working joins
World-spirit Being with the life of man.

—Tr. John F. Gardner

When from the realms of space
The sun to man's beholding speaks,
And gladness rising from soul depths
Unites with light in seeing,
Then out from selfhood's sheaths
Soar thoughts into the world afar
And mutely join
Man's being with World­Spirit.

—Tr. John F. Gardner

When out of the soul's depths
The Spirit turns to the world's being,
And beauty flows from cosmic distances,
Then out of heaven's space there pours
Life strength to human bodies,
And with creative might it joins
The Spirit's Being with man's life.

—Tr. Isabel Grieve

When out of cosmic distances
The sun doth speak to sense of man,
And happiness from the soul's depths
Is joined to light in looking,
Then outward from the narrow sheath of self
Thoughts fly afar through distant spaces
And silently unite
Man's being with the Spirit's life.

—Tr. Isabel Grieve

When from the depths of soul
The Spirit turns towards the life of worlds
And Beauty wells from spaces far and wide,
Then out of heaven's vast expanse
The force of life streams into human bodies
And, working mightily, unites
The Spirit's essence with the life of man.

—Tr. Brigitte Knaack

When out of cosmic spheres
The sun appeals to human senses
And Joy out of the depths of soul
Grows one with light in glad beholding,
Then from the selfhood's shroud
Thoughts rise into the vast expanse of space
And dimly bind
Man's essence to the Spirit's life.

—Tr. Brigitte Knaack

When from the depths of soul
The spirit turns towards the life of Worlds
And beauty wells from widths of space,
Then out of farthest heavens
The force of Life draws into human bodies
And working pow'rfully unites
The Spirit's being with the life of Man.

—Tr. Ernst Lehrs

When from the width of worlds
The Sun speaks to the human sense,
And joy out of the depths of soul
Unites with light in Man's beholding,
Then thoughts withdraw from Selfhood's sheath
To farthest distances of space
And dimly bind
Man's being to the Spirit's life.

—Tr. Ernst Lehrs

When from the soul's deep ground
The Spirit turns to the life of worlds
And beauty wells from widths of space,
Then from the farthest Heavens flows
Life's strength into the human form
And weds in mighty working
The Spirit's being to the life of man.

—Tr. Liselotte & William Mann

When from the world's wide realms
The sun speaks to the human mind,
And joy from depths of soul
Unites with light in gazing,
Then thoughts from selfhood's sheath
Stream into far spread spaces,
And dimly bind
Man's being to the Spirit's life.

—Tr. Liselotte & William Mann

When the Spirit
from the depths of my soul.
turns to face the being of the universe —
And beauty bursts forth
from the far reaches of space —
Then the force for life,
from the vastness of heaven,
moves into human bodies,
And powerfully unites
the being of the Spirit
with my own human being.

—Tr. Tom Mellett

When the sun,
from all around the universe,
speaks to my human senses —
And joy, from the depths of my soul,
unites with light in a vision —
Then thoughts
from the confines of myself
move ever outward
into the vast expanse of space —
And they unite, however dimly,
the essence of my being
with the being of the Spirit.

—Tr. Tom Mellett

When from the depths of soul
The spirit turns to the life of worlds
And beauty wells from wide expanses,
Then out of heaven's distances
Streams life-strength into human bodies,
Uniting by its mighty energy
The spirit's being with our human life.

—Tr. Ruth & Hans Pusch

When out of world-wide spaces
The sun speaks to the human mind,
And gladness from the depths of soul
Becomes, in seeing, one with light,
Then rising from the sheath of self,
Thoughts soar to distances of space
And dimly bind
The human being to the spirit's life.

—Tr. Ruth & Hans Pusch

When from depths of soul
The spirit wends to worldly course
And beauty springs to life on earth,
Then drawn from heaven afar
The force of life moves in human flesh
And unites, with mighty effect,
Spirit ways with mankind’s core.

—Tr. John Riedel MD

When from afar the sun breaks forth
To warm the hearts and minds of men,
And joy springs to life again
To unite with shows of light,
Then drawn from self’s high hull
Thoughts emerge in ranging space
And bind together dimly
Human ways with spirit being.

—Tr. John Riedel MD