Analysis of The Maid Of The Mill's Repentance
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)
AWAY, thou swarthy witch! Go forth
From out my house, I tell thee!
Or else I needs must, in my wrath,
Expel thee!
What's this thou singest so falsely, forsooth,
Of love and a maiden's silent truth?
Who'll trust to such a story!
I sing of a maid's repentant fears,
And long and bitter yearning;
Her levity's changed to truth and tears
All-burning.
She dreads no more the threats of her mother,
She dreads far less the blows of her brother,
Than the dearly loved-one's hatred.
Of selfishness sing and treacherous lies,
Of murder and thievish plunder!
Such actions false will cause no surprise,
Or wonder.
When they share their booty, both clothes and purse,--
As bad as you gipsies, and even worse,
Such tales find ready credence.
"Alas, alas! oh what have I done?
Can listening aught avail me?
I hear him toward my room hasten on,
To hail me.
My heart beat high, to myself I said:
'O would that thou hadst never betray'd
That night of love to thy mother!'"
Alas! I foolishly ventured there,
For the cheating silence misled me;
Ah, sweetest! let me to thee repair,--
Nor dread me!
When suddenly rose a fearful din,
Her mad relations came pouring in.
My blood still boils in my body!
"Oh when will return an hour like this?
I pine in silent sadness;
I've thrown away my only true bliss
With madness.
Alas, poor maid! O pity my youth!
My brother was then full cruel in troth
To treat the loved one so basely!"
The swarthy woman then went inside,
To the spring in the courtyard yonder;
Her eyes from their stain she purified,
And,--wonder!--
Her face and eyes were radiant and bright,
And the maid of the mill was disclosed to the sight
Of the startled and angry stripling!
THE MAID OF THE MILL.
Thou sweetest, fairest, dearly-loved life!
Before thine anger I cower;
But blows I dread not, nor sharp-edged knife,--
This hour
Of sorrow and love to thee I'll sing,
And myself before thy feet I'll fling,
And either live or die there!
Affection, say, why buried so deep
In my heart hast thou lain hidden?
By whom hast thou now to awake from thy sleep
Been bidden?
Ah love, that thou art immortal I see!
Nor knavish cunning nor treachery
Can destroy thy life so godlike.
THE MAID OF THE MILL.
If still with as fond and heartfelt love,
As thou once didst swear, I'm cherish'd,
Then nought of the rapture we used to prove
Is perish'd.
So take the woman so dear to thy breast!
In her young and innocent charms be blest,
For all are thine from henceforward!
Now, sun, sink to rest! Now, sun, arise!
Ye stars, be now shining, now darkling!
A star of love now gleams in the skies,
All-sparkling!
As long as the fountain may spring and run,
So long will we two be blended in one,
Upon each other's bosoms!
Scheme | a bx bac b d ex eff g h fh fii x j bx bxx f k bk bll b m nm ncx o p fp fqq e O r fr fee k s js lbb e O x tx tuu g h eh ejj d |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01110111 1111111 11111011 011 11111101 11001101 1111010 111010101 0101010 0111101 110 1111011010 1111011010 10101110 1100101001 1100110 110111101 110 1111101101 111110101 1111010 010111111 11001011 1110111101 111 11111111 111111001 11111110 011100101 101010011 110111101 111 110010101 010101100 11110110 1110111011 1101010 110111011 110 011111011 1101111001 1101111 010101101 10100110 01111110 010 0101010001 001101101101 101001010 01101 110101011 01110110 111111111 110 110011111 01011111 0101111 010111011 01111110 11111101111 110 1111101011 11101100 1011111 01101 11111011 11111110 1110101111 110 1101011111 0010100111 111111 111111101 11111011 011111001 110 1110101101 1111111001 011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,709 |
Words | 513 |
Sentences | 53 |
Stanzas | 46 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1 |
Lines Amount | 79 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 45 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 11 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:37 min read
- 164 Views
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"The Maid Of The Mill's Repentance" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21842/the-maid-of-the-mill%27s-repentance>.
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