The cleft of a ginkgo leaf recalls a lover’s divided self; Greek gods and Persian poets give voice to euphoria and lamentation; and the artist must battle fiercely to bring the visions gifted by his muse intact onto the page. This fresh translation of Goethe’s poetry offers the reader an introduction to the more personal side of one of the towering figures of German letters. A novelist, dramatist, philosopher, scientist, courtier and in later life considered a sage, he was first and foremost a poet, who again and again worked out his life’s struggles through the medium of verse.

Goethe is best known as the author of Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther. This selection brings together his lyric poetry, and with it a representation of his life from childhood to old age: full of travel, romantic fixations, curiosity, nostalgia, deep thought, and above all, writing.