The Appalling State of English Translation of Wagner's Prose Work

You might recall that I recently quoted with some reluctance from an Ellis translation of a piece of writing by Wagner dating from late in his life (1881). The essay is entitled Know Thyself  or Erkenne dich selbst. I have since managed to track down the original text, exactly as it appeared in the Bayreuther Blätter.

I then proceeded to make my own translation of a quotation from the part of the text I was interested in (the whole thing is too long to translate here, although I would like to, time permitting):

Eine fast grössere Heiligkeit als die Religion hat in unserem staatsgesellschaftlichen Gewissen du ,,Eigentum" erhalten . . . Da das Eigentum als die Grundlage alles gesellschaftlichen Bestehens gilt, muss es wiederum desto schädlicher dünken, dass nicht Alle Eigentum besitzen, und sogar der grösste Teil der Gesellschaft enterbt zur Welt kommt. Offenbar gerät hierdurch, vermöge ihres eigenen Prinzipes, die Gesellschaft in eine so gefährliche Beunruhigung, dass sie alle ihre Gesetze für einen unmöglichen Ausgleich dieses Widerstreites zu berechnen genötigt ist, und Schutz des Eigentumes, für welchen ja auch im weitesten völkerrechtlichen Sinne die bewaffnete Macht vorzüglich unterhalten wird, in Wahrheit nichts anderes heissen kann, als Beschützung der Besitzenden gegen die Nichtbesitzenden. Wie viele ernste und scharf rechnende Köpfe sich der Untersuchung des hiermit vorliegenden Problems zugewendet haben, eine Lösung desselben, endlich etwa durch gleiche Verteilung alles Eigentums, hat noch keinem glücken wollen, und es scheint wohl, dass mit dem an mich so einfach dünkenden Begriffe des Eigentums, durch seine staatliche Verwertung, dem Leibe der Menschheit ein Pfahl eingetrieben Worden ist, an welchem sie in schmerzlicher Leidens-Krankheit dahin siechen muss.

The German spelling has been modernised eg Eigentum rather than Eigenthum, like Tannhäuser instead of Thannhäuser. Text taken from copy of the original Bayreuther Blätter publication, February-March issue, 1881. 

First is my own translation:

"Property" is practically held to be more sacred than religion in our state-run society. . . . Since property is deemed the foundation of our entire existence as a society, it seems all the more destructive that we do not all own property, and that the greatest part of society even comes disinherited into the world. Society is thus manifestly reduced by its own principle to such a state of dangerous discontent, that it is forced to estimate all its laws to the impossibly of settling this antagonism. Protection of property, in its widest universal legal sense — what armed force is selectively maintained for — can truly mean nothing else than a defence of the Haves [Besitzenden] against the Have-Nots [Nichtbesitzenden]. As many serious and keen calculating minds have applied themselves to the study of the problem before us, a solution to this — the final one perhaps being an equal distribution of all property — is something nobody has wished to bring to fruition [glücken wollen]; and it seems as if, through state exploitation of an apparently so simple a concept as property, a stake had been driven into the body of mankind that makes it waste away from the misery of a painful illness.

The appallingly bad translation by William Ashton Ellis:

"Property" has acquired an almost greater sacredness in our social conscience than religion . . . Since Property is deemed the base of all stability, the more's the pity that not all are owners, that in fact the greater proportion of Society comes disinherited into the world. Society is manifestly thus reduced by its own principle to such a perilous inquietude, that it is compelled to reckon all its laws for an impossible adjustment of this conflict; and protection of property—for which in its widest international sense the weaponed host is specially maintained—can truly mean no else than a defence of the possessors against the non-possessors. Many as are the earnest and sagacious brains that have applied themselves to this problem, its solution, such as that at last suggested of an equal division of all possessions, has not as yet been found amenable; and it seems as if the State's disposal of the apparently so simple idea of Property had driven a beam into the body of mankind that dooms it to a lingering death of agony.

Someone has posted the full text of the Ellis translation of Know Thyself here.

In fact, it is truly beyond appalling. For a start Ellis translates "Staatsgesellschaft" ("state-society" ie a society ruled over by the state) as "social conscience".  Ellis makes it clear that he understands the essay to be about property (Besitz), but when Wagner talks about the Haves (Besitzender) and Have-Nots (Nichtbesitzender) of property, he translates these as "possessors" and "non-possessors". He could have at least translated it as "owners vs non-owners". I have taken a slight liberty in using the idiomatic English terms "Haves vs Have-Nots" and believe that given the textual context, it is highly appropriate.

Take a look at the Ellis translation of this particular phrase:

Lösung desselben, endlich etwa durch gleiche Verteilung alles Eigentums, hat noch keinem glücken wollen. 

its solution, such as that at last suggested of an equal division of all possessions, has not as yet been found amenable.

 In no way does glücken ever mean amenable — it means or to succeed at or prosper. That is, Wagner is saying that nobody has yet managed to successfully realise the ideal of sharing all property equally amongst the people. The mistranslation of glücken as amenable is clearly calculated to undermine the socialist and egalitarian ideological underpinnings, by suggesting that Wagner feels that such wealth redistribution is not something that is capable of being achieved. Nor is it permissible to translate endlich as at last suggested. The world endlich is related to the word end, which like the English word with the same meaning, suggests the finality of the socialist solution. Thus endlich means: finally, ultimately, in the end. This is why I have chosen to translate this passage this way:

a solution to this — the final one perhaps being an equal distribution of all property — is something nobody has managed to successfully realise

Ellis knew perfectly well that the passage was about the conflict between property owners and the disinherited majority of non-owners, a state of disequilibrium maintained by armed force (die bewaffnete Macht), which of course Ellis mistranslates as weaponed host. How on earth can anyone get a translation of host out of Macht? This cannot be a result of incompetence, but a wilful sabotage of the original.

Ellis even substitutes the term the State's disposal in place of state exploitation as a translation of staatliche Verwertung. The word Verwertung never means disposal — look it up in as many dictionaries as you want, or run it through Google translator if you don't believe me. Again, this malicious mistranslation is certainly deliberate, and calculated to undermine Wagner's socialist message.

I have briefly looked at other passages and the notorious (anti-capitalist) anti-Semitic passages are nowhere near as bad in the original. That aspect of the essay has been maliciously played up by Ellis. Here, for example is an important passage:

Trotz des sich hier heraustellenden, ganz unausgleichbar dünkenden Nachteiles, in welchem die deutsche Race (wenn wir eine solche noch annehmen sollten) gegen die jüdische sich befindet, glaubten wir dennoch, um die jetzige Bewegung zu erklären, das Wiedererwachen eines deutschen Instinktes in ungefähre Berechnung ziehen zu müssen. Da wir von der Äußerung eines reinen Racen-Instinktes abzusehen uns genötigt fanden dürften wir dagegen vielleicht einem weit höheren Triebe nachzuforschen uns gestatten, welcher, da er dem heutigen Volks doch nur dunkel und wahnvoll bewusst sein kann, wohl zuerst noch als Instinkt, dennoch aber von edlerer Abkunft und höheren Ziele, etwa als Geist reiner Menschlichkeit, bezeichnet werden müsste.

My translation:

Despite the emergence of these disadvantages, relative to the Jewish race, in the German race (if we should still believe in such a thing) that cannot seemingly be compensated for at all, we still believe that in order to illuminate the current [anti-Semitic nationalist] movement, the reawakening of something approximating [in ungefähre Berechnung] the German instinct is to be encroached [ziehen].  As we found that it was necessary to refrain from the pronouncement of a pure racial instinct, we ought, in contrast [dagegen], to perhaps permit ourself to investigate a much more elevated goal (that the present-day people can only be aware of in a dark and fully delusory way, as an instinct first and foremost) that is of nobler origins and having a loftier goal —  that which must be named as the Spirit of Pure Humanity.

The Ellis translation (or better still, his bastardisation):

Despite the enormous [unausgleichbar*] disadvantage at which the German race (if so we still may call it) appears to stand against the Jewish, we yet have ventured to suggest the re-awakening of a German instinct as one factor in the present agitation [Bewegung]. As, however, we have been obliged to discard all idea of its being a purely racial instinct, we perhaps might search for something higher: a bent that, merely vaguely (wahnvoll) felt by the Folk [Volk] of to-day, would at first appear indeed as instinct, though really of far nobler origin and loftier aim, and which might haply be defined as the spirit of the purely-Human [als Geist reiner Menschlichkeit].

The German in square brackets is mine, but the round brackets are from Ellis. Please look these bracketed phrases up in a dictionary or on Google translator.

Note the translation of "wahnvoll" as "vaguely". The word "Wahn" is that found in the Hans Sachs "Wahn monologue" and is a very Schopenhauerian term. Schopenhauer equates it with the Buddhist veil of Maya — the philosophical veil of delusions created by blind greed. So the word "Wahn" means delusion. The word "voll" means "full". So wahnvoll means:

 wahn + voll = full of delusions

Wagner is clearly saying that he thinks that the anti-Semitic German nationalist movements are founded on base instincts that are wahnvoll. There is absolutely nothing "vague" about Wagner's position. 

Now think to Parsifal, the most recent work by Wagner at that time. Parsifal is described as the being: "durch Mitleid wissend das reine Tor" (the pure fool, through compassion enlightened). True philosophical knowledge enlightens humanity through compassion. This enlightenment removes the Veil of Maya, as the veil of delusions (Wahn) falls away. To be thus enlightened is to Know Thyself and to discover one's own Pure Humanity. 

Essentially, Wagner is calling the anti-Semitic nationalist movements that were starting at the time a base delusion. It goes hand in hand with Wagner's statement that the way the Germans have historically behaved towards Jews as being "rauberische Rohheit" — predatory bestiality (das Judentum in der Musik). Far more important was to discovery one's own Pure Humanity — through compassion enlightened.

In another part of Know Thyself Wagner also says:

Was nicht erkannt wird, darauf wird losgeschlagen, und, schlagen wir uns damit selbst, so vermeinen wir, der Andere hätte uns geschlagen. Wer erlebte diese nicht wieder, wenn er, mit jener Lehre im Sinne, etwa der heutigen Bewegung gegen die Juden zusieht? 

What is not recognised is attacked, and we thereby we attack ourselves, supposing that the Other had attacked us. Who does not experience this again when, with that teaching in mind [know thyself] he looks upon the current movement against the Jews?

That is to say, often the Jews are blamed for things that come from within ourselves! Things are projected upon the Jews that are only reflections of our inner selves — hence, says Wagner: know thyself. The root of all evil lies within ourselves.

This tendency to dissociate himself with the anti-Semitic German nationalist movements is confirmed elsewhere, and is not by any means confined to Know Thyself.  Wagner said much the same thing in a letter to Angelo Neumann, his Jewish friend, and theatre director:

Der gegenwärtigen antisemetischen Bewegung stehe ich vollständig fern; ein nächstens in den Bayreuther Blättern erscheinender Aufsatz von mir wird dies in einer Weise bekunden, daß Geistvollen es sogar unmöglich werden dürfte, mich mit jener Bewegung in Beziehung zu bringen. 

From the modern anti-Semitic movement I stand completely distant. In an upcoming issue of the Bayreuth Blätter there will appear an article by me that ardently [Geistvollen] announces that it will actually be impossible for me to associate myself with that movement.  

p139 of the German edition of Angelo Neumann's book Erinnerungen an Richard Wagner, Leipzig 1907. The above is my own English translation. The English translation of the book can be found here.

One immediately senses the work of Chamberlain's henchmen in these malicious mistranslations that force a reading out of the Urtext that makes Wagner appear to comply with Chamberlain's racist ideology. In fact, it is probably absolutely no coincidence that the most fanatically pro-Nazi members that  congregated in Bayreuth in the half century after Wagner's death were English: Winifred Wagner (born Winifred Marjorie Williams in Hastings), and Houston Chamberlain. Indeed, this Nazification of Wagner's thinking long after his death possibly has English origins in the wilful and malicious violation of Wagner's writings that occurs in the Ellis "translations".

It simply highlights one fact: never trust a single world of any English translations of Wagner's prose works by Ellis or anyone remotely associated with Chamberlain. You must always go back to the Urtext.




[* Meaning of unausgleichbar. Ausgleichen = to compensate for,  counterbalance (aus = out, gleichen = to equal ie "to equal out"). The "un" at the start means "not" like the English eg unreadable. The -bar ending is the equivalent of the English -able eg unreadable. So un + ausgleich + bar = unable to be compensated for. A disadvantage that is unausgleichbar is "uncompensatable" or in better English, one that cannot be compensated for. This word does not mean "enormous" as in an "enormous disadvantage", which is the Ellis translation. ]