On a Journey
On a Journey - meaning Summary
Consolation on the Road
Hesse’s short poem offers quiet consolation to a traveler or companion. It reassures against despair by promising an eventual evening of calm and mutual rest, using simple, pastoral images of moonlight and weather. The “small crosses” suggest shared burdens or final memorials placed together along a road, implying companionship through hardship and into rest. Tone is steady, accepting, and consolatory rather than triumphant.
Read Complete AnalysesDon't be downcast, soon the night will come, When we can see the cool moon laughing in secret Over the faint countryside, And we rest, hand in hand. Don't be downcast, the time will soon come When we can have rest. Our small crosses will stand On the bright edge of the road together, And rain fall, and snow fall, And the winds come and go.
Translated by James Wright
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