The Poems of Goethe, Translated in the Original Metres
1797
The Poems of Goethe, Translated in the Original Metres
1797
Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote poetry that still feels startlingly modern more than two centuries later. This collection gathers his verses in English translations that preserve the original German metres, offering readers an unusually faithful encounter with one of literature's most restless minds. The poems range from intimate lyrics of love and longing to sweeping meditations on nature, creativity, and the human condition. Goethe refused easy answers; his work insists that meaning is always becoming, never finished, a quality that makes his poetry feel less like archived artifacts and more like messages from a kindred spirit. Beyond 'Faust,' his shorter works reveal a poet who could be tender, satirical, philosophical, and passionate in the same breath. Bowring's translations, dedicated to Countess Granville, attempt the near-impossible: carrying Goethe's music into English while honoring the formal constraints of the original verse. The result is a collection that demonstrates why Goethe coined the term 'world literature' and why his influence still echoes through poetry everywhere.
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“Divide and rule, the politician cries;Unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Schon ist alle Nähe fern””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Wie es auch sei das Leben, es ist gut.””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Liebende sich wiederfindend.””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Wähntest du etwa,Ich sollte das Leben hassen,In Wüsten fliehen,Weil nicht alleBlütenträume reiften?””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“MaifestWie herrlich leuchtetMir die Natur!Wie glänzt die Sonne!Wie lacht die Flur!Es dringen BlütenAus jedem Zweig,Und tausend StimmenAus dem Gesträuch,Und Freud und WonneAus jeder Brust.O Erd, o Sonne!O Glück, o Lust!O Lieb', o Liebe,So golden schön,Wie MorgenwolkenAuf jenen Höhn;Du segnest herrlichDas frische Feld,Im BlütendampfeDie volle Welt.O Mädchen, Mädchen,Wie lieb' ich dich!Wie blickt dein Auge!Wie liebst du mich!So liebt die LercheGesang und Luft,Und MorgenblumenDen Himmels Duft,Wie ich dich liebeMit warmem Blut,Die du mir JugendUnd Freud und MutZu neuen LiedernUnd Tänzen gibst!Sei ewig glücklichWie du mich liebst!””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Denn alles muß in Nichts zerfallen, wenn es im Sein beharren will.””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Nur wo du bist sei alles, immer kindlich,So bist du alles, bist unüberwindlich.””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Gar manches Herz verschwebt im Allgemeinen,Doch widmet sich das edelste dem Einen.””
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. The Poems of Goethe, Translated in the Original Metres. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-poems-of-goethe-translated-in-the-original-metres-a3c8afc4-3716-4857-a9e4-86c4b2d0adc6.Goethe, J. W. V. (1797). The Poems of Goethe, Translated in the Original Metres. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-poems-of-goethe-translated-in-the-original-metres-a3c8afc4-3716-4857-a9e4-86c4b2d0adc6Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. The Poems of Goethe, Translated in the Original Metres. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-poems-of-goethe-translated-in-the-original-metres-a3c8afc4-3716-4857-a9e4-86c4b2d0adc6.
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