Gefunden

Gefunden	Found
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe	Translation: Hyde Flippo
Ich ging im Walde	I was walking in the woods
So für mich hin,	Just on a whim of mine,
Und nichts zu suchen,	And seeking nothing,
Das war mein Sinn.	That was my intention.
Im Schatten sah ich	In the shade I saw
Ein Blümchen stehn,	A little flower standing
Wie Sterne leuchtend	Like stars glittering
Wie Äuglein schön.	Like beautiful little eyes.
Ich wollt es brechen,	I wanted to pick it
Da sagt' es fein:	When it said delicately:
Soll ich zum Welken,	Should I just to wilt
Gebrochen sein?	Be picked?
Ich grubs mit allen	I dug it out with all
Den Würzeln aus,	Its little roots.
Zum Garten trug ichs	To the garden I carried it
Am hübschen Haus.	By the lovely house.
Und pflanzt es wieder	And replanted it
Am stillen Ort;	In this quiet spot;
Nun zweigt es immer	Now it keeps branching out
Und blüht so fort.

Gefunden, by Johann Wolfgang von Geothe is a classic German poem and is quite famous. This is one of my favorite poems because it is so positive and heart-warming. It teaches the lesson to preserve beauty and admire it. The imagery Goethe uses to describe the flower makes such an insignificant plant and turns it into a thing of extreme beauty. When Goethe maked the flower speak I was a little taken aback, but it is important because it warns the man of what he is about to do, pick a flower that will die soon. He then decides to bring the entire plant into the sun and replant it so he can share its beauty and have it blossom into a wonderous thing. 

Comments

[Muda]

I appreciate this poem very much Karl. This poem contrasts conventional love poems that convey true beauty and love without much variation. When reading this poem, I did not expect the man to take all of the flower and preserve its growth. The speaker insists on the condition of true beauty. This instance is where one understands that you must take all of a person, not just the "gliterring" outside, to see the true potential and beauty of that individual.

[Joe W.]

To me, this poem really strikes me as a 'bigger idea' than what it's actually about. The flower is in an area that doesn't allow it to spread love because no one is around there. The speaker helps out the flower, so it can show off it's beauty and spread the love that it has to people who can actually see it. That's a really inspiring thing to think about. Something small influencing bigger creatures. In life, small things need to be there so we can be reminded on how one insignificant thing can change someone's life or viewpoint.

[Simone A.]

What I love about this poem is that it is so simple. It is teaching an important and valuable lesson without overdoing or over exaggerating. I agree that the real beauty is in the fact that the poem communicates a profound lesson in such a positive, pleasant, and minimalist fashion.

[Danny W.]

I like this poem a lot. It seems simple, but I see a deeper meaning in it. I think the flower could represent beautiful people in general. A person may be beautiful on the outside, but the true beauty lies on the inside, the part that no one sees, the roots. If the roots are rooted somewhere incapable of supporting growth, the flower cannot thrive. People need room for their roots to expand. Also, if a person is picked (as in and separated from their roots), then they can become wilted and ugly. People need to stay connected to their roots, but they also need room to grow.