First Lines of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A place to mark the Graces, when they comeA violet blossom'd on the lea,A youth to Corinth, whilst the city slumber'd,Alas, that even in a heavenly marriage,All the divine perfections, which, whilereDo not touch him -- do not wake him! Fast asleep is Amor lying;Eros! wherefore do I see thee, with the glass in either hand?Grant, O ye healing Nymphs, that have your hauntsHere, in the hush and stillness of mid-noon,How beautiful! A garden fair as heaven,Lightly doth the furrow fold the golden grain within its breast,Love, not the simple youth that whilom woundMahadeh, earth's lord, descending,Many weary days I suffer'd,O child of beauty rare --Our German Klopstock, if he had his will,Six young men of Caesar's householdSlumber, Sleep -- they were two brothers, servants to the Gods above;The deep-brow'd lord of Delos once, and Maia's nimble-witted son,The morning came. Its footsteps seared awayThe water rush'd and bubbled by --There stands an ancient castleTo deck herself, the Muse, at early morn,What sounds are those I hear, alongWhat time Diogenes, unmoved and still,Where the rose is fresh and blooming -- where the vine and myrtle spring --Who rides so late through the grisly night?Wilt thou dare to blame the woman for her seeming sudden changes,Yesterday thy head was brown, as are the flowing locks of love,