The Poems of Goethe | Page 4

before the reader, whose indulgence is requested
for its many
imperfections. In addition to the beauty of the language
in which the Poet has given utterance to his thoughts, there is a depth of
meaning in those thoughts which is not easily discoverable at first sight,
and the translator incurs great risk of overlooking it, and of giving a
prosaic effect to that which in the original contains the very essence of
poetry. It is probably this
difficulty that has deterred others from
undertaking the task I have set myself, and in which I do not pretend to
do more than attempt to give an idea of the minstrelsy of one so
unrivalled, by as truthful an interpretation of it as lies in my power.
The principles which have guided me on the present occasion are the
same as those followed in the translation of Schiller's complete Poems
that was published by me in 1851, namely, as literal a rendering of the
original as is consistent with good English, and also a very strict
adherence to the metre of the original. Although translators usually
allow themselves great license in both these points, it appears to me
that by so doing they of necessity destroy the very soul of the work
they profess to translate. In fact, it is not a translation, but a paraphrase
that they give. It may perhaps be thought that the present
translations
go almost to the other extreme, and that a rendering of metre, line for
line, and word for word, makes it impossible to preserve the poetry of
the original both in substance and in sound. But experience has
convinced me that it is not so, and that great fidelity is even the most
essential element of
success, whether in translating poetry or prose. It
was therefore very satisfactory to me to find that the principle laid
down by me to myself in translating Schiller met with the very general,
if not universal, approval of the reader. At the same time, I have
endeavoured to profit in the case of this, the younger born of the two
attempts made by me to transplant the muse of Germany to the shores

of Britain, by the criticisms, whether friendly or hostile, that have been
evoked or provoked by the appearance of its elder brother.
As already mentioned, the latter contained the whole of the Poems of
Schiller. It is impossible, in anything like the same compass, to give all
the writings of Goethe comprised under the general title of Gedichte, or
poems. They contain between 30,000 and 40,000 verses, exclusive of
his plays. and similar works. Very many of these would be absolutely
without interest to the English reader,--such as those having only a
local application, those addressed to individuals, and so on. Others
again, from their extreme length, could only be published in separate

volumes. But the impossibility of giving all need form no
obstacle to
giving as much as possible; and it so happens that the real interest of
Goethe's Poems centres in those classes of them which are not too
diffuse to run any risk when translated of offending the reader by their
too great number. Those by far the more generally admired are the
Songs and Ballads, which are about 150 in number, and the whole of
which are contained in this volume (with the exception of one or two of
the former, which have been, on consideration, left out by me owing to
their
trifling and uninteresting nature). The same may be said of the
Odes, Sonnets, Miscellaneous Poems, &c.
In addition to those portions of Goethe's poetical works which are
given in this complete form, specimens of the different other classes of
them, such as the Epigrams, Elegies, &c., are added, as well as a
collection of the various Songs found in his Plays, making a total
number of about 400 Poems, embraced in the present volume.
A sketch of the life of Goethe is prefixed, in order that the reader may
have before him both the Poet himself and the Poet's offspring, and that
he may see that the two are but one--that Goethe lives in his works, that
his works lived in him.
The dates of the different Poems are appended throughout, that of the
first publication being given, when that of the
composition is
unknown. The order of arrangement adopted is that of the authorized
German editions. As Goethe would never arrange them himself in the

chronological order of their composition, it has become impossible to
do so, now that he is dead. The plan adopted in the present volume
would therefore seem to be the best, as it facilitates reference to the
original. The
circumstances attending or giving rise to the production
of any of the Poems will be found specified in those cases in which
they have