The Shepherd's Lament

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



ON yonder lofty mountain

A thousand times I stand,
And on my staff reclining,

Look down on the smiling land.

My grazing flocks then I follow,

My dog protecting them well;
I find myself in the valley,

But how, I scarcely can tell.

The whole of the meadow is cover'd

With flowers of beauty rare;
I pluck them, but pluck them unknowing

To whom the offering to bear.

In rain and storm and tempest,

I tarry beneath the tree,
But closed remaineth yon portal;

'Tis all but a vision to me.

High over yonder dwelling,

There rises a rainbow gay;
But she from home hath departed

And wander'd far, far away.

Yes, far away bath she wander'd,

Perchance e'en over the sea;
Move onward, ye sheep, then, move onward!

Full sad the shepherd must be.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 14, 2023

42 sec read
115

Quick analysis:

Scheme X AB A X CD C E FB F X DX D B GX G E DE D
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 715
Words 137
Stanzas 18
Stanza Lengths 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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

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