Vanitas! Vanitatum Vanitas!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)
MY trust in nothing now is placed,
Hurrah!
So in the world true joy I taste,
Hurrah!
Then he who would be a comrade of mine
Must rattle his glass, and in chorus combine,
Over these dregs of wine.
I placed my trust in gold and wealth,
Hurrah!
But then I lost all joy and health,
Lack-a-day!
Both here and there the money roll'd,
And when I had it here, behold,
From there had fled the gold!
I placed my trust in women next,
Hurrah!
But there in truth was sorely vex'd,
Lack-a-day!
The False another portion sought,
The True with tediousness were fraught,
The Best could not be bought.
My trust in travels then I placed,
Hurrah!
And left my native land in haste.
Lack-a-day!
But not a single thing seem'd good,
The beds were bad, and strange the food,
And I not understood.
I placed my trust in rank and fame,
Hurrah!
Another put me straight to shame,
Lack-a-day!
And as I had been prominent,
All scowl'd upon me as I went,
I found not one content.
I placed my trust in war and fight,
Hurrah!
We gain'd full many a triumph bright,
Hurrah!
Into the foeman's land we cross'd,
We put our friends to equal cost,
And there a leg I lost.
My trust is placed in nothing now,
Hurrah!
At my command the world must bow,
Hurrah!
And as we've ended feast and strain,
The cup we'll to the bottom drain;
No dregs must there remain!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 08, 2023
- 1:18 min read
- 274 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | a Ba Bccc d Bd Efff g Bg Ehhx a Ba Eixi j Bj Exkk l Bl Bmxm n Bn Booo |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,358 |
Words | 252 |
Stanzas | 21 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 2, 4, 1, 2, 4, 1, 2, 4, 1, 2, 4, 1, 2, 4, 1, 2, 4, 1, 2, 4 |
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"Vanitas! Vanitatum Vanitas!" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21920/vanitas!-vanitatum-vanitas!>.
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