Steps

Hermann Karl Hesse (1877-1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, essayist, painter and mystic. Hesse’s best-known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, Demian, Narcissus and Goldmund and The Glass Bead Game. One of Germany’s greatest writers, Hesse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.

"Stages" or "Steps"
by Hermann Hesse
from his novel The Glass Bead Game
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

These streets that I walk
Are treacherous with every other step
No compass in my hand to guide me
I allow the light of the sky to illuminate my path

There’s no straight and narrow to speak of
Wishful thinking that’s been a forever desire
I have the mental bruises that show the impatience of wait
I have the physical pain in my feet from the many travels