From there, we will go on to the folkloric language of Johann Wolgang von Goethe . We then examine Goethe's legacy as seen in Heinrich Heine 's folksong-style poetry. From Heine we skip to Manitoba's beloved Paul Hiebert , the comedic translator of Heine's poetry. Language, Poetry, and Music Language speaks to the soul. Language is poetry.
Poetry is music.
For language to speak to the soul, it has to sing. I have listened to people reading poetry in languages which I did not understand, yet the flow of words plucked at my heart strings like music. Many people have told me that they prefer the King James version of the English Bible to any modern translation. I know why. The translators were not only language scholars, they were poets.