Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Year of origin: 1771

Theme: Love, experience of nature, pain of parting

Stylistic devices: Personification, symbolism, comparisons, vivid color adjectives

Goethe's poem deals with the passion and contradictory feelings of the lover. Nature reflects the emotional turmoil of the lyrical self. Personifications (“the dark path”) and colorful imagery like “rain of blossoms” underscore the experience of nature. In contrast to “Welcome” and “Farewell”, the feeling of being torn between euphoria and grief becomes clear. The poem embodies the central motifs of Sturm und Drang: intense emotions and merging with nature.