Authors

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



OVER the meadows, and down the stream,

And through the garden-walks straying,
He plucks the flowers that fairest seem;

His throbbing heart brooks no delaying.
His maiden then comes--oh, what ecstasy!
Thy flowers thou giv'st for one glance of her eye!

The gard'ner next door o'er the hedge sees the youth:
"I'm not such a fool as that, in good truth;
My pleasure is ever to cherish each flower,
And see that no birds my fruit e'er devour.
But when 'tis ripe, your money, good neighbour!
'Twas not for nothing I took all this labour!"
And such, methinks, are the author-tribe.

The one his pleasures around him strews,

That his friends, the public, may reap, if they choose;
The other would fain make them all subscribe.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
96

Quick analysis:

Scheme A BA BCX DDEEEXF C XF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 710
Words 129
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 1, 2, 3, 7, 1, 2

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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

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    "Authors" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21587/authors>.

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