"Das scheint mir ein Sinnspruch zu sein, den man wahrscheinlich nur im zeitgenössischen Kontext sofort versteht. Jedenfalls kann ich die Botschaft des Autors nicht spontan erkennen."
=To me, this seems an aphorism. Immediately understandable only in contemporary context, probably. However, I can't spontaneously spot the author's message.
Eine mögliche Interpretation könnte sein, dass die Musik mit Flöteninstrumenten in Wien damals so in Mode war, dass sie die Wiener quasi auf Schritt und Tritt verfolgte und dadurch manche (wie zum Beispiel Karl Kraus) sehr nervte. In diesem Fall wäre der Spruch sarkastisch gemeint und möchte etwa folgendes aussagen: Dieses andauernde Flötengedudel macht mir das Leben in Wien unerträglich.
= An interpretation could be, that flute music was so much en vogue in Vienna at that time that you were literally haunted or chased by it. Some people (e.g. Karl Kraus) may have been very annoyed by it.
The saying would then have a sarcastical (not sure about this word) meaning, expressing something like "This constant tootling (of the flutes) is making life in Vienna unbearable for me."
He's got a point there, although it doesn't sound that bad in German:
It is sure that he feels as if he was being played on by a flute whenever walking Vienna's streets. Now you can wonder if he likes it (my version) or not (R.'s version). In that case, I wouldn't go so far as to say he is desperate and can't stand life in Vienna. He may be annoyed, though, also somewhat distrustful about that hilarious mood in the city.
Henk
