Mischievous Joy

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



AS a butterfly renew'd,

When in life I breath'd my last,

 To the spots my flight I wing,

Scenes of heav'nly rapture past,

 Over meadows, to the spring,
Round the hill, and through the wood.

Soon a tender pair I spy,

And I look down from my seat

 On the beauteous maiden's head--

When embodied there I meet

 All I lost as soon as dead,
Happy as before am I.

Him she clasps with silent smile,

And his mouth the hour improves,

 Sent by kindly Deities;

First from breast to mouth it roves,

 Then from mouth to hands it flies,
And I round him sport the while.

And she sees me hov'ring near;

Trembling at her lovers rapture,

 Up she springs--I fly away,

"Dearest! let's the insect capture

 Come! I long to make my prey
Yonder pretty little dear!"

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 30, 2023

44 sec read
53

Quick analysis:

Scheme X A B A BX C D E D EC F G X G XF H I J I JH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 725
Words 142
Stanzas 20
Stanza Lengths 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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

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