The Warning

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)



WHEN sounds the trumpet at the Judgment Day,
And when forever all things earthly die,
We must a full and true account supply
Of ev'ry useless word we dropp'd in play.
But what effect will all the words convey
Wherein with eager zeal and lovingly,
That I might win thy favour, labour'd I,
If on thine ear alone they die away?
Therefore, sweet love, thy conscience bear in mind,
Remember well how long thou hast delay'd,
So that the world such sufferings may not know.
If I must reckon, and excuses find
For all things useless I to thee have said,
To a full year the Judgment Day will grow

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
122

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAACBADEFDGF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 582
Words 112
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and politician. more…

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    The long poem “The Waste Land” was written by which poet?
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