German poets in Cardiff

A truly dramaturgical evening yesterday - a mysterious invitation from the Modern Languages faculty at the University took me to Chapter Arts Centre, where an equally mystified group of poets had gathered. It turned out that we were to hear readings by the (former East) German poets Uwe Kolbe and Richard Pietraß. Kolbe is tall and lean and comes from an inland-waterway family, while Pietraß, a Berliner, looked properly poetical, bearded, bespectacled and beaming - translates Seamus Heaney, whom he somewhat resembles. Readings in German, English and Welsh, the latter mesmerisingly beautiful, by Mererid Hopwood, and clearly fascinating to the non-Welsh-speaking German poets. And to drink - provided by the generosity of Literature Wales - Blue Nun. Honestly. I haven't seen it for years. I wondered if it was a joke, but it wasn't. The poetry was much about purifying German after the war, and restoring words (like 'Lebensraum') to use. Today we have a workshop on translating poetry, and I'll bring my Ringelnatz and Morgenstern versions along.