Help needed: Lem quotation in English

[Christian Chiarcos]

Dear list members,

preparing my PhD thesis, I found a wonderful quotation by Stanislaw Lem that I'd like to use. Unfortunately, it is in German ("Sterntagebücher", Berlin: Volk und Welt 1973, p. 113) and I was not able to get access to one of the English translations. So I'm asking

- if someone could email me the corresponding lines from one of the English editions,
- including full bibliographic references and page number

The quotation is a short passage from "Sterntagebücher" ("star diaries"), at the beginning of the 13th travel.

This is the German original (well, the original is Polish, of course, but ...):

Ein Kind, das auf dem Hinterschein geboren wird, erhält unzählige Titel und Auszeichnungen sowie einen Namen, der nach unseren Begriffen ungewöhnlich lang ist.
Als Meister Oh auf die Welt kam, erhielt er den Namen Gridipidagititositipopokarturtegwauanatopocotuototam. Man ernannte ihn zur Güldenen Stütze des Seins, zum Doktor der Vollendeten Sanftmut, zur Lichten Possibilitativen Allseitigkeit und so weiter und so fort. In dem Maße, wie er heranwuchs und sich bildete, wurde ihm jeweils von Jahr zu Jahr ein Titel und ein Teil seines Namens genommen, und da er außerordentliche Fähigkeiten bewies, hatte man ihm bereits im dreiunddreißigsten Lebensjahr die letzte Auszeichnung entzogen, und seinen Namen bezeichnete im Hinterscheinalphabet nur ein einziger, obendrein stummer Buchstabe, welcher himmlischer Hauch bedeutet so etwas wie einen unterdrückten Seufzer, den man vor übermäßiger Achtung und Wonne äußert.

This is my own -- very tentative -- translation:

A child born on the planet "Hinterschein", receives lots of titles and marks of distinctions, and a name that is in our terms unusually long.
When Master Oh came to the world, he received the name Gridipidagititositipopokarturtegwauanatopocotuototam. He was appointed Golden Prop to (Pillar of?) Existence, Doctor of the Accomplished Gentleness, Light Possibilitative Universality, and so on. While he grew up and broaded his mind, a title and a part of his name was removed from year to year. Since he proved extraordinary talent, he lost his last decoration [or distinction] already at the age of 35. His name was denoted by one single and silent letter in the alphabet of the Hinterschein that meant heavenly breath, much alike a stifled sigh used to signal deepest respect and excessive delight.

Thanks in advance,
Christian Chiarcos

[skrzat]

"...Children born on Fatamiasma receive an enormous number of titles and distinctions as well as a name that is, by our standards, inordinately long.

The day Master Oh came into the world he was called Hridipidagnittusuoayomojorfnagrolliskipwikabeccopyxlbepurz. And duly dubbed Golden Buttress of Being, Doctor of Quintessential Benignity, Most Possibilistive Universatilitude, etc., etc. From year to year, as he studied and matured, the titles and syllables of his name were one by one removed, and since he gave evidence of uncommon abilities, by the thirty-third year of his life he was relieved of his last distinction, and two years later carried no title whatever, while his name was designated in the Fatamiasman alphabet by a single and - moreover - voiceless letter, signifying "celestial aspirate" - this is a kind of stifled gasp which one gives from a surfeit of awe and rapture."

translated from the Polish by great Michael Kandel

[Christian Chiarcos]

Thank you very much.

)

[Sternenfisch]

  Ein wunderschöner Text
Beautiful lyric.
And a perfect translation