Monday, June 18, 2007

Zu parsifallen, oder nicht?

So in my daily ruminations as to what to do with my self, here in my last two weeks in Berlin, I have encountered what appears to be a very important German word, although I haven't found it any Worterbuchs. It's a reflexive verb:

sich parsifallen

which translates, approximately to

"to subject oneself to Wagner's Parsifal"

I've got two chances left to mich parsifallt. Its the Staatsoper Berlin, Barenboim as Dirigent.

Dear mildly interested readers, können Sie mir helfen, bitte?

Soll ich mich parsifallen, oder nicht?

7 Comments:

Blogger Jack said...

Doch bitchin' kickass, sollen Sie sich parsifallen! Haben Sie etwas besseres zu tun?

If that's an actual reflexive verb, I'm going to be super-impressed.

6/18/2007 9:42 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

And you should know me well enough to know whether or not its a real verb.

6/18/2007 11:34 AM  
Blogger nate said...

Just don't confuse "sich parsifallen" with the usage "sich etwas parsifallen", meaning "to send something on a quest, as for the Holy Grail, on behalf of oneself". Example: "Ich habe mir Indiana Jones geparsifaellt."

No, seriously, don't make up any German until you're pretty solid with the real language.

And go see Parsifal. Whether you especially like Wagner or not it won't be nearly as good in Miami.

6/18/2007 7:16 PM  
Blogger Pete said...

Yeah, but I wouldn't go see Parsifal in Miami, either. This would absolutely be my superego exerting itself, if I manage to go to this Parsifal - it will have nothing to do with me, as such, but only the internalized conceptions of societal pressures that I perceive as demanding I go to such a thing.

6/19/2007 7:43 AM  
Blogger Jack said...

Now see, there's probably a German word for that.

6/19/2007 9:03 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

I mean, once upon a time, (Avery Fisher Hall, New York Philharmonic, nameless B-or-C-list conductor) I fell asleep during a performance of just the prelude to Parsifal. I've got no chance against the entire actual thing - there's gotta be something better that I can do with 5 hours in Berlin and 12 euros.

6/19/2007 9:30 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

Okay, jerks. I bought a ticket. But a cheap one. Seven euros. I shouldn't be able to see the whole stage, but thats okay, since I'll probably be asleep for most of it anyway.

6/20/2007 9:27 AM  

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