Wanderer's Night Song by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Wanderer's Night Song" is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, notable for its reflection of the poet's early Storm and Stress period, where he expressed deep emotions and a profound connection to nature. The poem articulates Goethe's pantheistic beliefs, influenced by philosophers such as Baruch Spinoza and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who emphasized the interconnectedness of all things. In this work, the speaker seeks an escape from emotional turmoil, representing death as a release into sweet freedom. The imagery evokes a serene interaction with nature, highlighting its role as a nurturing force and creator. Through its themes of longing and liberation, "Wanderer's Night Song" resonates with readers who appreciate the exploration of existential concepts and the human experience. Overall, the poem serves as a poignant meditation on life, death, and the yearning for tranquility amidst suffering.
On this Page
Wanderer's Night Song by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: “Wanderers Nachtlied,” 1776 (collected in Selected Poetry: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 2005)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
“Wanderer’s Night Song” is representative of the poems written by the young Goethe at the height of his Storm and Stress years. It is indicative of his love of nature and his view of nature as the creator of all things. “Wanderer’s Night Song” exemplifies Goethe’s pantheistic ideas and sentiments, which he developed out of his study of the seventeenth century Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza and the eighteenth century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The poem is an appeal to nature to allow the sweet freedom (symbolic of death) to enter the chest, suggesting the stopping of the heartbeat. This poem, like “The Erlking” and The Sorrows of Young Werther, yearns for freedom from emotional agonies, a freedom attainable only by crossing the final threshold of physical existence.
Bibliography
Bennett, Benjamin. Goethe’s Theory of Poetry. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1986.
Bloom, Harold, ed. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2003.
Brown, Jane. Goethe’s “Faust”: The German Tragedy. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1986.
Dye, Ellis. Love and Death in Goethe: One and Double. Rochester, N.Y.: Camden House, 2004.
Fiedler, Hermann G. Textual Studies of Goethe’s “Faust.” Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1946.
Lange, Victor, ed. Goethe: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968.
Robertson, John G. The Life and Work of Goethe, 1749-1832. 1932. Reprint. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries, 1971.
Rowland, Herbert, ed. Goethe, Chaos, and Complexity. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2001.
Swales, Martin, and Erika Swales. Reading Goethe: A Critical Introduction to the Literary Work. Rochester, N.Y.: Camden House, 2002.