Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer and statesman, first won fame at age 24 for his novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. He later received accolades for Faust, a drama based on a legendary figure who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for fulfillment of earthly desires. In addition to novels and plays, Goethe published both scientific papers and poetry.
In 1815, he published
a poem in which the narrator talks about wishing to be a fish or a steed, to be
gold, or true, or old, etc., etc. His poem happens to be a love poem. Here it
is:
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 make me thine.
To be like a fish,
Brisk and quick, is my wish.
Brisk and quick, is my wish;
If thou cam'st with thy line.
Thou wouldst soon make me thine.
To be like a fish,
Brisk and quick, is my wish.
Oh, were I a steed!
Thou wouldst love me indeed.
Oh, were I a car
Fit to bear thee afar!
Oh, were I a steed!
Thou wouldst love me indeed.
Thou wouldst love me indeed.
Oh, were I a car
Fit to bear thee afar!
Oh, were I a steed!
Thou wouldst love me indeed.
I would I were gold
That thy fingers might hold!
If thou boughtest aught then,
I'd return soon again.
I would I were gold
That thy fingers might hold!
That thy fingers might hold!
If thou boughtest aught then,
I'd return soon again.
I would I were gold
That thy fingers might hold!
I would I were true,
And my sweetheart still new!
To be faithful I'd swear,
And would go away ne'er.
I would I were true,
And my sweetheart still new!
And my sweetheart still new!
To be faithful I'd swear,
And would go away ne'er.
I would I were true,
And my sweetheart still new!
I would I were old,
And wrinkled and cold,
So that if thou said'st No,
I could stand such a blow!
I would I were old,
And wrinkled and cold.
And wrinkled and cold,
So that if thou said'st No,
I could stand such a blow!
I would I were old,
And wrinkled and cold.
An ape I would be,
Full of mischievous glee;
If aught came to vex thee,
I'd plague and perplex thee.
An ape I would be,
Full of mischievous glee
Full of mischievous glee;
If aught came to vex thee,
I'd plague and perplex thee.
An ape I would be,
Full of mischievous glee
As a lamb I'd behave,
As a lion be brave,
As a lynx clearly see,
As a fox cunning be.
As a lamb I'd behave,
As a lion be brave.
As a lion be brave,
As a lynx clearly see,
As a fox cunning be.
As a lamb I'd behave,
As a lion be brave.
Whatever I were,
All on thee I'd confer;
With the gifts of a prince
My affection evince.
Whatever I were,
All on thee I'd confer.
All on thee I'd confer;
With the gifts of a prince
My affection evince.
Whatever I were,
All on thee I'd confer.
As nought diff'rent can make me,
As I am thou must take me!
If I'm not good enough,
Thou must cut thine own stuff.
As nought diff'rent can make me,
As I am thou must take me!
As I am thou must take me!
If I'm not good enough,
Thou must cut thine own stuff.
As nought diff'rent can make me,
As I am thou must take me!
~ Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe
This poem is in the public domain.
The June Challenge
The challenge for June is to write a poem in which you wish
to be an animal or object – something other than what you actually are. NOTE:
your poem does not have to be a love poem; it may have an entirely different
motivation. Maybe you wish you were a monarch butterfly so you could cross
international boundaries without a passport. Maybe you would like to be a mole
so you could tunnel under a fence. Your poem can include a variety of wishes,
as does Goethe’s poem, or it can develop a variety of reasons for being one
animal, object, etc. Instead of wishing or longing to be something, you may
prefer to say “I am a. . .” (i.e., I am a cat, scratching. . . .”). You may use one of the starting lines in the box above, or approach your poem in a different way.
Submit only one poem. The
deadline is June 15. Poems submitted after the June 15 deadline will not be
considered. There is no charge to enter, so there are no monetary rewards;
however winners are published on this blog.
Copyright on each
poem is retained by the poet.
Poems published in
books or on the Internet (including Facebook and other on-line social networks)
are not eligible. If you poem has been published in a periodical, you may
submit it if you retain copyright, but please include publication data.
How to
Submit Your Poem:
Send one poem only to wildamorris[at]ameritech[dot]net (substitute the @ sign for “at” and a . for “dot”). Be sure to provide your e-mail address. Include a brief bio which can be printed with your poem, if you are a winner this month.
Send one poem only to wildamorris[at]ameritech[dot]net (substitute the @ sign for “at” and a . for “dot”). Be sure to provide your e-mail address. Include a brief bio which can be printed with your poem, if you are a winner this month.
Submission
of a poem gives permission for the poem to be posted on the blog if it is a
winner, so be sure that you put your name, exactly as you would like it to
appear if you do win, at the end of
the poem. Poems may be pasted into an email or sent as an attachment. Please do
not indent the poem or center it on the page. It helps if you submit the poem
in the format used on the blog (Title and poem left-justified; title in bold,
and not all in capital letters; your name at the bottom of the poem). Also,
please do not use spaces instead of commas in the middle of lines. I have no
problem with poets using that technique; I sometimes do it myself. However I
have difficulty getting the blog to accept and maintain extra spaces.
And Remember: The January challenge is still open, and will be until there are a few more submissions. Check the January post for complete rules. The poems that have been submitted since January 15 will be sent to the judges soon. If you have been thinking of entering, send your poem by June 10.
© Wilda Morris
