Friedrich Holderlin poems

Friedrich Holderlin(20 March 1770 - 6 June 1843 / Germany)

Hyperion's Song Of Destiny

- by Friedrich Holderlin 9

Holy spirits, you walk up there
in the light, on soft earth.
Shining god-like breezes
touch upon you gently,
as a woman's fingers
play music on holy strings.

Like sleeping infants the gods
breathe without any plan;
the spirit flourishes continually
in them, chastely kept,
as in a small bud,
and their holy eyes
look out in still
eternal clearness.

A place to rest
isn't given to us.
Suffering humans
decline and blindly fall
from one hour to the next,
like water thrown
from cliff to cliff,
year after year,
down into the Unknown.

Looking outward

- by Friedrich Holderlin 3

The open day is bright with pictures for everyone,
when green fields appear on the distant plain,
before the light of evening yields to twilight,
and reflections of light alleviate the noise of the day.
The inner being of the world often appears clouded
and hidden, and people's minds are full of doubts
and irritation, but splendid nature cheers up their days,
and doubt's dark questions stay distant.