So I've studied German a little. I have no conversational skills and little facility reading it. But I really enjoy German poetry in the original language. My theory is that it's like the Guitar Hero version of speaking the language - it lets me play along with an expert, even though I am a rank neophyte. I would love to see this in German.
One thing that bothers me is that the cultural context is lost. I am completely oblivious to things that would be obvious to a native speaker. For instance, I like some poems by Christian Morgenstern, but is that like saying I like a Hallmark card or a Thomas Kincaid painting? I suspect it's a little bit like the latter, which is fine. The Germans I have spoken with had no interest in poetry, good or bad, so they couldn't offer any feedback.
I, conversely, lack the knowledge to quite get the allusion to a Hallmark card or a Thomas Kincaid painting.
I guess that Kincaid paintings are considered subpar by connoisseurs. That wouldnʼt be the thing with Morgenstern. He is popular, but not that popular, and was sufficiently unconventional at his time to be seen as a genuine creative artist.
That is a comparison in terms of connoisseurship (or snobbery). If I had to make a comparison in terms of how the workʼs nature, Iʼd say that the shorter poems are like Roger Price droodles.
One thing that bothers me is that the cultural context is lost. I am completely oblivious to things that would be obvious to a native speaker. For instance, I like some poems by Christian Morgenstern, but is that like saying I like a Hallmark card or a Thomas Kincaid painting? I suspect it's a little bit like the latter, which is fine. The Germans I have spoken with had no interest in poetry, good or bad, so they couldn't offer any feedback.