SH5 ( was quarter)

[Otto]

From: <calbert at tiac.net>
>
> In the spirit of compromise I offer the following:
>
> Quarter and Nachtlager may indeed relate as suggested by some, to
> wit, one might offer a vanquished enemy the opportunity to catch up
> on its rest, or perhaps a "bed" upon which to enjoy an "eternal"
> nacht.
>
> By simply substituting "Sl" for "N", one might also arrive at a point of
> concurrence.  Ain't that right, Otto?
>
> love,
> cfa

In the spirit of the topic I should say: no compromises. But seriously - to
be honest about it I had no idea and checked the German version to look how
Dietrich Stössel and Wulf Teichmann had solved the problem. If even native
speakers have to ask what this expression means I have no trouble admitting
this. I never insisted that the translation is right though I pay respect to
everybody who translates literature.
Anyway, Pynchon is not the only author where I sometimes get the feeling
that the babelfish had been used while putting it into German . . . check
out Chinua Achebe or Lawrence Norfolk and your toenails begin to curl . . .

General Patton addressing the 3rd Army on the eve of D-Day . . .

     "My men don't surrender, and I don't want to hear
     of any soldier under my command being captured
     unless he has been hit. Even if you are hit, you
     can still fight back. That's not just bull shit
     either. The kind of man that I want in my command
     is just like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a
     Luger against his chest, jerked off his helmet,
     swept the gun aside with one hand, and busted the
     hell out of the Kraut with his helmet. Then he
     jumped on the gun and went out and killed another
     German before they knew what the hell was coming
     off. And, all of that time, this man had a bullet
     through a lung. There was a real man!"

Otto