Mein kleines Reh

  For this installment of AMD I read some German poetry by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe. I needed inspiration to complete my love story so what better way to be inspired for love than to read some poetry? The literary community seems to love Goethe. Ich kenn Goethe nicht aber seine Poesie ist schon.
  I liked finding that you can express different ideas and end up with a nice little rhyme that you wouldn't be able to pull off in the same way if you were writing in English or another language. It helps put into better perspective the concept of thinking differently if you think in a different language. I didn't think anything I read of Goethe's seemed crazy or anything but certainly he came to different ideas and diction than he would have if he'd written in English. I don't currently know enough German to send my mind down a different path than it would normally be on but we will see what happens as we all learn more together. Perhaps our minds will overflow with German poetry.


 Here is a shorter poem of his called 'Found'

Ich ging im Walde

I was walking in the woods

So für mich hin,

Just on a whim of mine,

Und nichts zu suchen,

And seeking nothing,

Das war mein Sinn.

That was my intention.

Im Schatten sah ich

In the shade I saw

Ein Blümchen stehn,

A little flower standing

Wie Sterne leuchtend

Like stars glittering

Wie Äuglein schön.

Like beautiful little eyes.

Ich wollt es brechen,

I wanted to pick it

Da sagt' es fein:

When it said delicately:

Soll ich zum Welken,

Should I just to wilt

Gebrochen sein?

Be picked?

Ich grubs mit allen

I dug it out with all

Den Würzeln aus,

Its little roots.

Zum Garten trug ichs

To the garden I carried it

Am hübschen Haus.

By the lovely house.

Und pflanzt es wieder

And replanted it

Am stillen Ort;

In this quiet spot;

Nun zweigt es immer

Now it keeps branching out

Und blüht so fort.

And blossoms ever forth.