“An den Mond” by Goethe

“Wald und Wasserfall im Mondschein” by Carl Gustav Carus

The poem An den Mond by Goethe has a musical setting by Schubert.

In this German speech recitation, however, we chose the Adagio from Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata played on the classical guitar.

The poem has themes of loss, death, and mourning – but more importantly, it subtly explores the mysterious bonds of inspiration and relationship that flow in lemniscate fashion between the worlds of the living and the worlds of the dead.

Rudolf Steiner celebrated Goethe and pointed to Goethe’s Fairy Tale of the Green Snake and Beautiful Lily as the “germinal seed” of the anthroposophical movement. This important text that inspired Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy in the 20th century is available in a fresh translation for our 21st century. 

Purchase or Preview on Amazon

To the Moon
By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

BUSH and vale are filled by thee
With a silver haze,
And my soul thou hast set free
With thy soothing rays.
 
And thy gentle beams descend         5
Kindly where I go,
Like the mild eye of a friend
On my joy and woe.
 
Echoes of the times gone by
Tremble through my heart,         10
‘Twixt delight and grief I ply,
Evermore apart.
 
Dearest river, flow, oh flow!
Joy cannot abide.
Play and kisses vanished so,         15
Faithfulness beside.
 
Once—oh, could I but forget!—
It was mine: the rare!
And it is a torture yet
Memories to bear.         20
 
River, flow the vale along,
Without rest or ease,
Murmur, whisper to my song
Gentle melodies!
 
Swelling in the winter night         25
With thy roaring flood,
Bubbling in the spring’s delight
Over leaf and bud!
 
Blessed is he who walks apart,
Though no hate he bears,         30
Holds a friend within his heart;
And with him he shares
 
All that steals, by men unguessed,
Or by men unknown,
Through the maze of his own breast         35
In the night alone. 

_____

An den Mond

Füllest wieder Busch und Tal

Still mit Nebelglanz

Lösest endlich auch einmal

Meine Seele ganz;


Breitest über mein Gefild

Lindernd deinen Blick,

Wie des Freundes Auge mild

Über mein Geschick.

Jeden Nachklang fühlt mein Herz

Froh- und trüber Zeit,

Wandle zwischen Freud’ und Schmerz

In der Einsamkeit.

Fließe, fließe, lieber Fluß!

Nimmer werd’ ich froh;

So verrauschte Scherz und Kuß

Und die Treue so.

Ich besaß es doch einmal,

was so köstlich ist!

Daß man doch zu seiner Qual

Nimmer es vergißt!

Rausche, Fluß, das Tal entlang,

Ohne Rast und Ruh,

Rausche, flüstre meinem Sang

Melodien zu!

Wenn du in der Winternacht

Wütend überschwillst

Oder um die Frühlingspracht

Junger Knospen quillst.

Selig, wer sich vor der Welt

Ohne Haß verschließt,

Einen Freund am Busen hält

Und mit dem genießt,

Was, von Menschen nicht gewußt

Oder nicht bedacht,

Durch das Labyrinth der Brust

Wandelt in der Nacht.

______

9.17.20