​
TO GOETHE.[1]


"The Undecaying"
Is but thy label,
God the betraying
Is poets' fable.

Our aims all are thwarted
By the World-wheel's blind roll:
"Doom," says the downhearted,
"Sport," says the fool.

The World-sport, all-ruling,
Mingles false with true:
The Eternally Fooling
Makes us play, too!

  1. ↑ This poem is a parody of the "Chorus Mysticus" which concludes the second part of Goethe's "Faust." Bayard Taylor's translation of the passage in "Faust" runs as follows:—
    "All things transitory
    But as symbols are sent,
    Earth's insufficiency
    Here grows to Event:
    The Indescribable
    Here it is done:
    The Woman-Soul leadeth us
    Upward and on!"
      This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
    Original:

    This work was published before January 1, 1927, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

     
    Translation:

    This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1927. It may be copyrighted outside the U.S. (see Help:Public domain).

    This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.