Dr. Albrecht Classen is University Distinguished Professor and Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of German Studies, University of Arizona. Dr. Albrecht Classen was born near Bad Hersfeld in Northern Hesse, Germany. He studied at the universities of Marburg, Erlangen (Germany), Millersville, PA (USA), Oxford (Great Britain), Salamanca (Spain), Urbino (Italy), and Charlottesville, VA (USA). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1986. He has a broad range of research interests covering the history of medieval and early modern German and European literature and culture from about 800 to 1800. He has published more than 105 books, for articles: more than 710, and reviews: ca. 2600. Apart from his poems, he has also published two volumes with satires (2018 and 2020). He is the editor of Mediaevistik and Humanities- Open Access.Online, and book review editor of Trans-Lit2. He has served four times as President of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association.
In 2012 he published two new volumes of his own poetry in German:
(together with Th. Moedriach), sprachbrücken: Gedichte von Tucson bis nach Gottschee (II) (Gottschee: Thomas Schuster, 2012), 85 pp.
(together with Th. Moedriach), Grenzgänger: Gedichte von Tucson bis nach Gottschee (II) (Gottschee: Thomas Schuster, 2012), 91 pp.
A new volume, Hawaiische Impressionen, appeared in 2013. This was followed by a volume of his poems, Sonora, harte Klänge (2015). More at aclassen.faculty.arizona.edu>>
Special Collection: Creativity in the Time of the Pandemic 2020>>
Poems in the midst of crisis
April 2020
New work conditions
On the way
to my work
I bicycle alone,
in my office
I do not see anyone
all day long,
I reflect
by myself,
and write
silently
my critical text.
In the evening
I return home
without seeing
anyone on the street.
Santa Cruz
On the embankment,
ground squirrels scuffle
away into their holes
frightened by our steps.
The Jojoba bushes
bend in the gentle breeze,
and the Mesquite trees
plan their majestic coming out.
Dry riverbed,
where do you hide your water?
The near-by traffic
does not even see you.
We know
of the grandiose flow of water
after a roaring thunderstorm
here and in the distance.
Deceptively yawns
the gorge
deep below our feet,
but there are no clouds to be seen.
Quietly we wander
back to our car,
the April heat has come in,
when will the river wake up again?
Hidden Happiness
Every day
the same route
to my work,
every day
the same route
going home,
every day
I could get bored
and frustrated,
dreading the monotony
and emptiness,
the loneliness
and lack of hope.
But I am lucky,
every day
I see some new flowers
and interesting shades,
every day
I smell a new perfume
because petals have opened
and greet me with joy.
Every day
I see people jogging
and taking their dogs for a walk,
while I hear my lungs breathing
in the fresh morning air.
My glass of life
is half full
all the time,
and I drink and drink
in big gulps
this wonderful
fresh water.
There is music in the air
for those with fine ears,
and I listen and listen
thanking the great Lord.
Your piece of bread
will certainly suffice.
Haikus
Scare is everywhere,
blindness strikes, and so despair,
but what have we lost?
Evening
Deserted desert,
No one knows the direction,
Woke up from a dream.
Curfew
I thought of nothing,
my books at home gave comfort,
lonely in a cell.
Hope
My words and myself
play and live in unison
and create meaning.
Recycling weekly
people take dogs for a walk
what is going on?
I must keep writing
otherwise I would despair
my words console me
Wings of new virus
quietly cover the land
I do not give up
Evening setting
the moon rises behind clouds
spare me my dreaming
Fernweh I tell you
Heimweh I also feel much
at home and abroad
Local pantry here
a long line of hungry mouths
all humanity
Give me all your love
I’ll take it with me yonder
Together in flight,
True, I do not fear
my time is much too precious
We are here to live
Finally, sunset
what will tomorrow bring us?
there is always hope
The past is with us,
we cannot escape from it
painful memories
The bell is tolling
the morning is not waiting
pack your stuff and go
Cacti blooming fresh
none of the dying matters
life keeps going on
Hunger knocks on doors
needs no keys or my welcome
human suffering
Oh Haiku haiku
du musst wandern durch die Welt
gibst Trost und Segen
Javelinas trot
at night through the neighborhood
they are not concerned
The first pistachio
proudly displays its first leaves
the others will follow
Medieval Black Death
flight, no other remedy
and now, any change?
Darkness awaits us
daybreak arrives, rest assured
it’s all a rhythm
Do not trust the head
he does not know anything
oh bombastic fool
Day by day, we live
birds and sunshine remind us
let’s get back to work
Sing a song with me
the chorus always sounds good
we will achieve much
Does the virus smell?
How do the Acacia smell?
You choose what you like
Fern sind die Freunde
wir denken jetzt stark an sie
einsam ist keiner
So much doom and gloom
virus, we are not your prey
let’s fight, drink, and write
Do not give up hope
there is so much more to do
life is way too short
It’s tough, we all know
but we are tough as you know
let us win the war!
Moon and stars wonder
where have all the people gone
alone in hiding
City silhouette
morning sunshine fills the streets
there is no traffic
Wild flowers now grow
from every crack and hole
no one there to weed
No stopping of time
we all must grow and pass on
one chance, one life, now
And the moon rises
bright and clear above our heads
what only has changed?
Countless viruses
here on lonely Mother Earth
nine billion people
Why, if I may ask
why has this happened to us
life is contingent
Getting up at dawn
working until evening
routine and structure
St. Christophorus
pray for us in our need
we hold on to straws
Quirky internet
remains quiet, no e-mails
a pause in the world
If the Jesuits
had known of the pandemic
they might have stayed home.
Our bad politicians
have failed to act properly
their inaction brings death
The cat on the roof
has chased all the birds away
gazing down to us
Old death is passing
all cacti bloom carelessly
Spring is here to stay
Pick up the old book
wisdom is never aging
we learn from verses
Moon in the dark sky
sun in sapphire clothing
the flowers wake up
I just can’t help it
my words tumble forth in Spring
verses in the air
Published on April 12, 2020. © Author.