Venetian Epigrams XCVI
I saw the sea gleam, and the sweet waves glitter: Lively sails crossing it, with a following wind. My heart felt no desire: my languishing gaze Soon turned back again towards mountains and snow. How many treasures lie Southward! Yet one in the North Like a great magnet draws me irresistibly back.
Venetian Epigrams XCVI - form Summary
Epigram's Compressed Directional Contrast
This short epigram uses tight, economical phrasing to set up a spatial and emotional contrast between enticing southern pleasures and an irresistible northern pull. In a few lines Goethe stages a sudden inward turn: outward sights and lively seas fail to stir desire, and a single northern magnet summons the speaker back. The brevity sharpens the poem’s paradox, making the emotional shift immediate and memorable.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.