SWISS SONG
Up in th’ mountain
I was a-sitting,
With the bird there
As my guest,
Blithely singing,
Blithely springing,
And building
His nest.
In the garden
I was a-standing,
And the bee there
Saw as well,
Buzzing, humming,
Going, coming,
And building
His cell.
O’er the meadow
I was a-going,
And there saw the
Butterflies,
Sipping, dancing,
Flying, glancing,
And charming
The eyes.
And then came my
Dear Hansel,
And I show’d them
With glee,
Sipping, quaffing,
And he, laughing,
Sweet kisses
Gave me.
1811.
Similar poems:
- TO LIDA THE only one whom, Lida, thou canst love, Thou claim’st, and rightly claim’st, for only thee; He too is wholly […]...
- THE WEDDING NIGHT WITHIN the chamber, far away From the glad feast, sits Love in dread Lest guests disturb, in wanton play, The […]...
- THE BRIDEGROOM.* (Not in the English sense of the word, but the German, where it Has the meaning of betrothed.) I SLEPT, […]...
- III. THE PARIAH’S THANKS MIGHTY Brama, now I’ll bless thee! ‘Tis from thee that worlds proceed! As my ruler I confess thee, For of […]...
- THE HEATHROSE ONCE a boy a Rosebud spied, Heathrose fair and tender, All array’d in youthful pride, Quickly to the spot he […]...
- THE WARNING WHEN sounds the trumpet at the Judgment Day, And when forever all things earthly die, We must a full and […]...
- TO THE KIND READER No one talks more than a Poet; Fain he’d have the people know it. Praise or blame he ever loves; […]...
- THE NEW AMOR AMOR, not the child, the youthful lover of Psyche, Look’d round Olympus one day, boldly, to triumph inured; There he […]...
- LOVER IN ALL SHAPES To be like a fish, Brisk and quick, is my wish; If thou cam’st with thy line. Thou wouldst soon […]...
- THE FAREWELL [Probably addressed to his mistress Frederica.] LET mine eye the farewell say, That my lips can utter ne’er; Fain I’d […]...
- AUTHORS OVER the meadows, and down the stream, And through the garden-walks straying, He plucks the flowers that fairest seem; His […]...
- THE CHOSEN CLIFF HERE in silence the lover fondly mused on his loved one; Gladly he spake to me thus: “Be thou my […]...
- MAHOMET’S SONG [This song was intended to be introduced in A dramatic poem entitled Mahomet, the plan of which was not carried […]...
- THE PUPIL IN MAGIC I AM now, what joy to hear it! Of the old magician rid; And henceforth shall ev’ry spirit Do whate’er […]...
- JOY AND SORROW As a fisher-boy I fared To the black rock in the sea, And, while false gifts I prepared. Listen’d and […]...
- THE MOUNTAIN VILLAGE “THE mountain village was destroy’d; But see how soon is fill’d the void! Shingles and boards, as by magic arise, […]...
- FROM ‘THE SORROWS OF YOUNG WERTHER.’ [Prefixed to the second edition.] EV’RY youth for love’s sweet portion sighs, Ev’ry maiden sighs to win man’s love; Why, […]...
- LEGEND THERE lived in the desert a holy man To whom a goat-footed Faun one day Paid a visit, and thus […]...
- A SYMBOL (This fine poem is given by Goethe amongst a Small collection of what he calls Loge (Lodge), meaning thereby Masonic […]...
- THE WAY TO BEHAVE THOUGH tempers are bad and peevish folks swear, Remember to ruffle thy brows, friend, ne’er; And let not the fancies […]...
- Trilogy of Passion: I. TO WERTHER [This poem, written at the age of seventy-five, was appended to An edition of ‘Werther,’ published at that time.] ONCE […]...
- EXPLANATION OF AN ANTIQUE GEM A YOUNG fig-tree its form lifts high Within a beauteous garden; And see, a goat is sitting by. As if […]...
- THE BEAUTEOUS FLOWER SONG OF THE IMPRISONED COUNT. COUNT. I KNOW a flower of beauty rare, Ah, how I hold it dear! To […]...
- FROM THE MOUNTAIN [Written just after the preceding one, on a Mountain overlooking the Lake of Zurich.] IF I, dearest Lily, did not […]...
- DISTICHS CHORDS are touch’d by Apollo, the death-laden Bow, too, he bendeth; While he the shepherdess charms, Python he lays In […]...
- GENIAL IMPULSE THUS roll I, never taking ease, My tub, like Saint Diogenes, Now serious am, now seek to please; Now love […]...
- HUMAN FEELINGS AH, ye gods! ye great immortals In the spacious heavens above us! Would ye on this earth but give us […]...
- HAPPINESS AND VISION TOGETHER at the altar we In vision oft were seen by thee, Thyself as bride, as bridegroom I. Oft from […]...
- DEDICATION The morn arrived; his footstep quickly scared The gentle sleep that round my senses clung, And I, awak’ning, from my […]...
- SHE CANNOT END WHEN unto thee I sent the page all white, Instead of first thereon inscribing aught, The space thou doubtless filledst […]...