THE REUNION

by: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

AN it be! of stars the star,

Do I press thee to my heart?

In the night of distance far,

What deep gulf, what bitter smart!

Yes, 'tis thou, indeed at last,

Of my joys the partner dear!

Mindful, though, of sorrows past,

I the present needs must fear.

 

When the still unfashioned earth

Lay on God's eternal breast,

He ordained its hour of birth,

With creative joy possessed.

Then a heavy sigh arose,

When He spake the sentence: -- "Be!"

And the All, with mighty throes,

Burst into reality.

 

And when thus was born the light,

Darkness near it feared to stay,

And the elements with might

Fled on every side away;

Each on some far-distant trace,

Each with visions wild employed,

Numb, in boundless realms of space,

Harmony and feeling-void.

 

Dumb was all, all still and dead,

For the first time, God alone!

Then He formed the morning-red,

Which soon made its kindness known:

It unravelled from the waste

Bright and glowing harmony,

And once more with love was graced

What contended formerly.

 

And with earnest, noble strife,

Each its own peculiar sought;

Back to full, unbounded life,

Sight and feeling soon were brought.

Wherefore, if 'tis done, explore

How? why give the manner, name?

Allah need create no more,

We his world ourselves can frame.

 

So, with morning pinions brought,

To thy mouth was I impelled;

Stamped with thousand seals by night,

Star-clear is the bond fast held.

Paragons on earth are we

Both of grief and joy sublime,

And a second sentence: -- "Be!"

Parts us not a second time.

• Faust - An analysis of the play by Goethe.
• Faust - A synopsis of the play by Goethe.
• The Faust Legend - An account of the creation of Goethe's most famous tragedy.
• Goethe as Theatre Director - An account of Goethe's time as director of the Weimar Theatre.
• Goethe's Birth and Education - A brief outline of Goethe's early years.
• Goethe's Death - A biographical account of Goethe's final hours.
• Goethe's Life at Weimar - A biographical account of Goethe's life at Weimar, where he lived from 1775 to 1786.
• Goethe's Love Affairs - A biographical account of Goethe's early love affairs.
• Goethe's Marriage - A brief account of the events surrounding Goethe's marriage to Christiane Vulpius.
• Götz von Berlichingen - An account of the creation of Goethe's first tragedy.
• Interview with Napoleon - An account of Goethe's interview with Napoleon.
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - A biography of the German dramatist.
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) - A biography.
• Purchase books by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe