The Pilgrim

Friedrich Schiller 1759 (Marbach am Neckar) – 1805 (Weimar)



Youth's gay springtime scarcely knowing
 Went I forth the world to roam--
And the dance of youth, the glowing,
 Left I in my father's home,
Of my birthright, glad-believing,
 Of my world-gear took I none,
Careless as an infant, cleaving
 To my pilgrim staff alone.
For I placed my mighty hope in
 Dim and holy words of faith,
"Wander forth--the way is open,
 Ever on the upward path--
Till thou gain the golden portal,
 Till its gates unclose to thee.
There the earthly and the mortal,
 Deathless and divine shall be!"
Night on morning stole, on stealeth,
 Never, never stand I still,
And the future yet concealeth,
 What I seek, and what I will!
Mount on mount arose before me,
 Torrents hemmed me every side,
But I built a bridge that bore me
 O'er the roaring tempest-tide.
Towards the east I reached a river,
 On its shores I did not rest;
Faith from danger can deliver,
 And I trusted to its breast.
Drifted in the whirling motion,
 Seas themselves around me roll--
Wide and wider spreads the ocean,
 Far and farther flies the goal.
While I live is never given
 Bridge or wave the goal to near--
Earth will never meet the heaven,
 Never can the there be here!

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:04 min read
125

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABACADEFCGHIHIFJFJIKIKLMLMCNCNCOCP
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,137
Words 212
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 36

Friedrich Schiller

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet philosopher historian and playwright During the last seventeen years of his life Schiller struck up a productive if complicated friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang Goethe with whom he frequently discussed issues concerning aesthetics and encouraged Goethe to finish works he left merely as sketches this relationship and these discussions led to a period now referred to as Weimar Classicism They also worked together on Die Xenien The Xenies a collection of short but harshly satirical poems in which both Schiller and Goethe verbally attacked those persons they perceived to be enemies of their aesthetic agenda. more…

All Friedrich Schiller poems | Friedrich Schiller Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem The Pilgrim with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Pilgrim" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/14416/the-pilgrim>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    15
    hours
    20
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem 'My Shadow'?
    A Maya Angelou
    B Robert Louis Stevenson
    C Edgar Allan Poe
    D Sylvia Plath