The secret life of pronouns

This is the dedication to James W. Pennebaker's new book The Secret Life of Pronouns - What Our Words Say About Us:

For you

and for us

and where we have been

and where we will go.

I think it might be one of the best dedications I have ever read.

It stands out because it is different, because it is universal and timeless, because it feels very personal, even though or maybe precisely because no particular person is named - and what's more, it showcases exactly what the book is about, namely, that words which on the surface do not tell us very much at all (who is "you"?, who are "we"?, where do we go? - it's all in the open) can stir up a whole world of emotions and significance.

And of course this immediately poses a problem for the translation: Is the "you" singular or plural? Why is it "where we will go" rather than "where we will be"?

I decide that as books, and therefore dedications, are usually read by a sinlge person, the German version should use the singular "Du" rather than "Euch". The second part is more difficult. I had to look at the verb tenses more carefully to come to a solution. "Have been" is progressive, whereas "be" is static - the journey from the past (have been) is matched with a journey (will go) in the future. This decided my choice for the German verbs. Finally, notice how even the alliteration of "where we" is preserved in the German version.

Für dich

und für uns

und woher wir kamen

und wohin wir gehen.