Breakdown of So hoch die Gischt auch peitscht, das Licht brennt weiter.
auch
also, too
brennen
to burn
so
so, such (intensifier)
hoch
high
Questions & Answers about So hoch die Gischt auch peitscht, das Licht brennt weiter.
How does the phrase so hoch ... auch translate to 'however high'?
In German, you can form a concessive clause (a clause showing contrast or a yielding condition) by putting an adjective or adverb between so and auch. Here, so hoch ... auch means 'no matter how high' or 'however high'. The word auch is mandatory for this specific grammatical structure.
Why is peitscht at the very end of the first half of the sentence?
The so ... auch structure creates a subordinate clause. Just like with dass or weil, this forces the conjugated verb (peitscht) to the very end of that clause.
Why does the main clause start with das Licht instead of the verb brennt? I thought a starting sub-clause pushes the main verb to the front.
You are absolutely right to expect verb-first word order here! However, concessive clauses built with so ... auch are often treated as grammatically independent from the main sentence. Because of this, the main clause is allowed to keep its normal subject-verb order (das Licht brennt). You could also invert it (..., brennt das Licht weiter), but the non-inverted order used here is extremely common.
What does weiter add to the verb brennt?