The Seasons of the Soul: The Poetic Guidance and Spiritual Wisdom of Herman Hesse

by Hermann Hesse

Vowing at an early age to be a poet or nothing at all, Hermann Hesse rebelled against formal education, focusing on a rigorous program of independent study that included literature, philosophy, art, and history. One result of these efforts was a series of novels that became counterculture bibles that remain widely influential today. Another was a body of evocative spiritual poetry. Published for the first time in English, these vivid, probing short works reflect deeply on the challenges of life and provide a spiritual solace that transcends specific denominational hymns, prayers, and rituals. The Seasons of the Soul offers valuable guidance in poetic form for those longing for a more meaningful life, seeking a sense of homecoming in nature, in each stage of life, in a renewed relationship with the divine. Extensive quotations from his prose introduce each theme addressed in the love, imagination, nature, the divine, and the passage of time. A foreword by Andrew Harvey reintroduces us to a figure about whom some may have believed everything had already been said. Thoughtful commentary throughout from translator Ludwig Max Fischer helps readers understand the poems within the context of Hesse s life.

Genres: Poetry, Philosophy, Fiction, German Literature, Spirituality, Classics, Literature

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Many works, including Siddhartha (1922) and Steppenwolf (1927), of German-born Swiss writer Hermann Hesse concern the struggle of the individual to find wholeness and meaning in life; he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1946.

Other best-known works of this poet, novelist, and painter include The Glass Bead Game , which, also known as Magister Ludi, explore a search of an individual for spirituality outside society.

In his time, Hesse was a popular and influential author in the German-speaking world; worldwide fame only came later. Young Germans desiring a different and more "natural" way of life at the time of great economic and technological progress in the country, received enthusiastically Peter Camenzind , first great novel of Hesse.

Throughout Germany, people named many schools. In 1964, people founded the Calwer Hermann-Hesse-Preis, awarded biennially, alternately to a German-language literary journal or to the translator of work of Hesse to a foreign language. The city of Karlsruhe, Germany, also associates a Hermann Hesse prize.

Reviews

[BrokenTune · Rating 4 out of 5]

“To cut through the charades of this world, to despise it, may be the aim of great thinkers. My only goal in life is to be able to love this world, to see it and myself and all beings with the eyes of love and admiration and reverence …”

Hesse is one of the writers I fell in love with at school, at a time when many other people despised reading because it was a task, because they had to. I was lucky. Our curriculum was rather interesting and allowed for some flexibility in the choice of authors and themes.

We read two books by Hesse - Beneath the Wheel and Steppenwolf - and both have remained favourites of mine over the past 20 years.

However, it is only now that I am looking at Hesse's poetry. I like poetry but it is not something I would pick up easily and am only doing so now because it is a format I have neglected for some time and really want to get to know better. So, what better way than to delve into some of Hesse's?

The Seasons of the Soul is not one of Hesse's original compilations but rather a selection of poems put together by a Hesse aficionado, L.M. Fischer, who also happens to be a scholar, and one with an excellent ear for Hesse's work which results in a rather lean and crisp translation of the poems he selected.
It is actually rather cute at points that his "nerdiness" shines through in his attempt to make Hesse's writing accessible to new audiences. At one point, I felt myself cringing slightly at the authors' reference to Lennon's Imagine, but then had to admit that I, too was thinking about that song as well as Season of Hollow Soul (k.d. lang). I guess it is in the nature of poetry to evoke associations like that.

As for the book itself, The Seasons of the Soul is a short but pretty good introduction to Hesse's poetry and the concepts that he contemplated throughout his life and which are reflected in his writing. The book is not, however, a comprehensive biography and it would be worthwhile to look at a some biographical notes whilst reading The Seasons of the Soul.

Stages

All blossoms will wilt,
each youth fold into the mold of age.
Wisdom and virtue never last forever.
Your heart must always be ready to leave
and ready to begin again,
must form new bonds
with courage and without regret.
Every beginning offers a magic power
that protects us and helps us to endure.

This journey through the realms of life
was not meant to end in one home only.
World spirit does not want to tie us down,
wants us to soar into the open.

When we stay too long in one place,
get stuck in norm and habit, we wear out.

Only embarking on new, unknown journeys
can free us from the prison of stagnation.

Maybe the moment of our death too
is just another gate to new dimensions.
The call of life to us will never end.
Well, then, my heart, take leave and heal.

[Shaimaa Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I was an orphan whose parents happened to be alive.” -- Hermann Hesse about his early life.

Reading such a confession is not easy! Seeing two parents, you may imagine the easy-going life , the well-raised children but life was never that straight forward..it's full of absurdity! I learnt from great authors like Hesse & Kafka that the road to greatness begins with sufferings & parents cruelty!
In this amazing journey in Hesse's world, you are intertwined with life, with nature. You are facing your inner conflicts of desire & noble meanings ..

“Nothing feels better during hard times than blending with nature, but not as a passive hedonism, but as a source for creative work."


Excerpts From: Hermann, Hesse. “The Seasons of the Soul"

Dark eyes
“My love and my yearning for home
have turned away from the noise of this world
and in your dark eyes
have built a vast, secret throne.”

The end of Summer
“Let us not grieve over our lost love
or stand ashamed before the ashes of our passion.
Let us take leave from our love.
This fateful night ends our season too.

For Ninon
“You see the light in me
beyond the dimming darkness.
Your love helps me remember
the honey core of all life.”

At the summit of Summer
“Now, soul of mine, take off the cloak of time,
discard your suffering and sorrows,
begin to prepare yourself for the ascent
toward that dawn you longed for long.”

Metamorphosis
“As she strides like a goddess
my life’s sorrows begin to fade
and my days regain a secret purpose:
To be the goddess’s reflection
and dignifying mirror.”

Growing Old
“Death is neither here nor there.
Death walks with us everywhere.
Death is within me and within you
every time we betray life.”

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything Meister Hermann Hesse wrote is pure literary delight. This man is incredible, when I read his words I no longer feel quite so insane or the crushing solitude of having ideas shared by so few. I have to learn German just so I can read Hesse in his native tongue.

[Judy Croome · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is well structured, with an informative and detailed introduction to each section of poems. Each of these excellent introductions give an intimate sense of Hesse the poet, his passions and his torments.

The poems that follow were, like most poetry volumes, made up of verses that resonated deeply with me and others that were interesting to read. Each reader would, I'm sure, find their own favourite poem.

Some of the poems were, unexpectedly, less lyrical than I expected from a mystical poet. Perhaps some essence was lost in translation (always a difficult task) or perhaps this is Hesse's Germanic voice - rather sombre and heavier in tone than other mystical poets such as Yeats, Rilke, Kabir or Gibrain.

Overall, this book is very good. The introductory pieces followed by a selection of poems grouped into common themes (Love, Inspiration, Nature, Dialogue with Divine and Seasons of Life) made this easy to read and accessible. The poems in the section on The Seasons of Life and the Passage of Time are particularly moving.

[Reem Rafei · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterpiece! Beautifully written! In love with Hesse's style.
And these two are my favorites:

“Now and Then

Now and then everything feels wrong and desolate,
and sprawling in pain, weak and exhausted,
every effort reverts to grief,
every joy collapses with broken wings.
And our longing listens for distant summons,
aching to receive news filled with joy.
But we still miss bliss,
fortunate fates elude from afar.
Now is the time to listen within,
tend our inner garden mindfully
until new flowers, new blessings can blossom.”
“Pain

Pain is a humbling master,
a wildfire burning through our life
which we no longer recognize as ours,
a wall of flames surrounding and separating us.
Wisdom and love become shrunken,
solace and hope grow thin and vanish.
But pain embraces us with passion.
We waste away to become essence.
Our earthly form withers and twists,
our ego flusters and fights the flames
then sinks still into ashes
and surrenders to its master”

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This goes straight into my top 10 collections of poetry along with Mary Oliver, Coleridge, Walt Whitman, AE Housman, etc. A beautiful blending of Western and Eastern philosophy, of existentialism and nature, of the great and the small. The collection is laid out perfectly, albeit I could live without the two or three page introductions to each section. The poetry is everything.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quickly illustrates an idea or profound emotion with an easy arrangement of words. Feels like your grandpa just sharing his most important life lessons and memory with you. Recommended.

[Surya V.n · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hesse ❤️

1. There Are Times

There are times when a bird calls
or a breeze rustles the branches
or a dog barks from a distant home
and I must fall silent and listen.
My soul returns to forgotten places
where a thousand years ago
the birds and the wind blowing
were more like my brothers.
My soul transforms into a tree,
into a creature, and a cloud passing by,
my soul returns to me with questions,
but I stay the same and find no answer.
*

2. Walking at Night

Bush and meadow, field and tree,
stand in their self-sufficient silence.
Each belonging wholly to itself.
Each deep in its own dream.
Clouds float by and stars stream light
as if appointed as higher sentinels
and the mountain with its steep ridges
towers above, dark, tall, and distant.
Everything remains and will continue.
Only I am alone with anguish and grief.
I drift far from the heart of God
without a purpose through the land.
*

3. Dark Eyes

My love and my yearning for home
ignited in the heat of this night
like the sweet fragrance of foreign flowers
fanning the flames of a fierce fervor.
My love and my yearning for home
and all my fortune and misfortune
now stand like silent stanzas of a song
in the dark mirror of your mythic gaze.
My love and my yearning for home
have turned away from the noise of this world
and in your dark eyes
have built a vast, secret throne.
*

4. Love Song

I wish I were a flower
And you were just walking by
And picked me as your own
And held me captive in your hand.
Or I wish I were red wine
And you would drink my sweetness
And take me deep inside yourself.
Both you and I would be healed.
*

5. The Creaking of a Broken Branch

This broken branch stuck spliced
to the tree perhaps for years,
it creaks in the wind with a hoarse crackle,
barren of all leaves, barren of all bark.
Still this branch clings worn and torn,
clings to life and death too long.
It forces out a tuneless squeak,
harsh, spiteful, still clenched
and full of fear of the final crack.
Still it may creak just one more summer
or even through another ashen winter.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hesse is a better novelist than a poet, but some of the poems in this volume are worth your time. The accompanying explanatory texts are very helpful in creating a better understanding of the man and his work.

[John Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

So my life drifts slowly through time
and will wane before long and still reach the placeless space
where the tides of desire rejoin the timeless ocean.
-from "Like A Wave"

Translated poetry (from German to English in this case) always gives cause to raise a brow, but Ludwig Fischer, PhD and professor of German and comparative mythology, seems to have dispelled the claim that "poetry is what gets lost in translation." This is a great collection of work and I feel that Hermann Hesse's voice rings true with each word. The 68 Poems are carefully divided into 5 sections each introduced by Dr. Fischer with thoughtful insight into the life and mind of Hermann Hesse.

I'll leave you with this:

"Books"

All the books of the world
will not bring you happiness,
but build a secret path
toward your heart

What you need is in you:
the sun, the stars, the moon,
the illuminations you were seeking
shines up from within you.

The quest for wisdom
made you comb the libraries.
Now every page speaks the truth
that flashes forth from you.

Hermann Hesse

[K.samayavel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rare collection is a must read for all Hesse lovers. The book is divided into five parts featuring his important phases of his poetry. From the introductions given in all the five chapters we can catch and understand the inner world of the Master Hesse. His attraction to the Eastern religious philosophy made him write Siddhartha which brought him the World vide readership. In my youth I was reading this novel repeatedly. The 'Quest' is important and the romanticism attached to the quest is certainly a heroism. Through Govindan and the River Hesse creares an indelible imprint on the readers consciousness. It's discussed in this book. In addition we are introduced to his whole world.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hesse muses about the earth, the sky, and loneliness. Love, life, birth and death are derivatives. Most poems can be seen as words of "spiritual wisdom", there is not much elating poetry in them. Some of his poems are good though, for instance Valse Brillante (1901), and Autumn Takes Hold of My Life (1919).

[Rosemary]

I loved this. I've always been drawn to Hesse's writing, but the purity and clarity reflected in this translation of some of Hesse's poems is beautiful.

[Sarah O'Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hugely inspiring writer. This is a beautiful book of poetry.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ludwig Max Fischer both translated and provided in-depth commentaries on these sixty-eight poems by Hermann Hesse … spanning the entirety of his life, the poems reflect deeply on the meaning of existence and its adversities …
“Maybe the moment of our death too
Is just another gate to new dimensions.
The call of life to us will never end.
Well, then, my heart, take leave and heal.”

[chacierrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I need.

[Enrique · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro incluye un calendario con acuarelas de Hesse, reproducciones de manuscritos y poemas en alemán y español. Dividido por meses, esta lectura lo transporta a uno a una Alemania pintoresca y transmite las sensaciones de cada estación para deleite de todos los sentidos.

*UPDATE*

La frialdad de la civilización es contrastada con la calidez y pureza de la naturaleza. Hesse critica el consumismo, la pérdida de la inocencia, la infelicidad y la desviación de lo que para él es la sabiduría absoluta sin consideración de riqueza, poder o conocimiento: el amor.

[Alex Weinle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hesse's power lies undeniably in his philosophical insight, his ability to give complex inner states an objective corollary, he is no Eliot or Auden. That said, the charm here is hearing him approach subjects with a private openness.

[Joseph Inzirillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unbelievably amazing collection of sage poems by Herman Hesse. Well worth the read and contemplation.

[Emz82 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured. Seasons of the soul.... I think Hesse spoke to my soul. Just beautiful.

[Carlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read Hesse I wonder why I still haven’t learned German.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hermann Hesse has been a reliable spirit guide to me since I discovered him quite accidentally almost 30 years ago. So how do I rate a book of poetry by one of my favorite humans, when I do not really "get" poetry? I decided to rate it high, because reading Hesse's poetry gives a personal glimpse into his ever-seeking soul, and because the introductions and explanatory notes by Ludwig Max Fischer (who also translated the poems) brings Hesse the man to light for me.

I've enjoyed all his novels, not because they propose a solid philosophy or an advised spiritual path, but because they encourage thinking out your own philosophy and spiritual path. Rather than being a religious teacher, Hesse is a pilgrim that inspires those who meet him along the way to take up their own calling and find their own peace.

The poetry of The Seasons of the Soul reveals a man often frustrated by love, a man sometimes assured and sometimes desperate to find a divine connection, a man who finds both comfort and awe in the thought of death. The collection of poems spans at least 60 years, and the dynamic cycles of a life lived intently are evident in all his work.

From the poetry I gleaned some wisdom. Here are a few favorites:
* Just as a peach tree bursts with glorious blossoms, and only some will ripen to fruit, so let your ideas abound unhindered without focusing on their rewards.
* "We choose God and World only as metaphors and symbols. Every thought and action then becomes an inner conversation, a meeting between God and World."
*"Death walks with us everywhere. Death is with me and within you every time we betray life."

Fischer gives us deeper dives into Hesse's life journey which earnestly yet reverently sought to reconcile Eastern and Western philosophies. Hesse believed in a true Self (much as Richard Rohr speaks of today) that grows by the sacrifice of the ego, that is shared by all living things, and that participates in eternity and the divine.

Knowing this Self is to know love rather than chase it, to nurture the soul in an age that recognizes only monetary success, to see nature as a teacher not as a product, and similarly to see spiritual growth not as a destination but as an endless discussion.

This book is a wealth of information, and it is presented in small digestible bites. Fans of Hermann Hesse and those looking for an introduction to Hesse should read it. But I think you truly experience his genius more in his novels than in his poetry.

[Joseph Knecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute mastery of the human language.

His poems pierce into any soul.



The sun speaks to us through light.
Flowers give voice to fragrance and colour.
The air communes through clouds, snow, and rain.
From the sacred center of the world
streams forth an irrepressible desire
to overcome the silence between things.
Art, the ever flowing fountain, reveals
the secret of life through word and gesture, colour and sound.

The world wants to be known to spirit
and find expression for timeless wisdom.
All life longs for a language.
Deep intuitions wish to surface,
find words and numbers, lines and tones,
always evolving forms of understanding.

The red and blue of flowers
and the verses of the poet
point to the inner workings of creation,
always pregnant with beginning and never ending.
When word and sound marry,
where songs soar and art unfolds
all life is brimmed again with spirit.
And every melody and book
and every painting is a revelation,
is another fresh attempt
to unfold the harmony of life.
Poetry and music invite you
to understand the splendours of creation.
A look into a mirror will confirm it.
What disturbs us often as disjointed
becomes clear and simple in a poem:
Flowers start laughing, the clouds release their rain,
the world regains its soul, and silence speaks.


Someone who found the inner path who, dedicated to deep meditation, got a glimpse of this essential truth, that we choose God and World only as metaphors and symbols. Every thought and action then becomes an inner conversation, a meeting between God and World.

To die means to return to the collective unconscious, to merge with it in order to be transformed into form, into pure form.… Every path, whether directed towards the sun or the light leads towards death and to a new birth whose pains the soul shuns. But every living being walks this path, every living being dies, and each and every one is born, because the eternal mother returns every life forever back to the world.

[Liam Taylor]

'Tomorrow you will be root and rustling leaf, tomorrow you will turn in to water mirroring clear sky, will curl as ivy, grow as fern and algae, become symbol of all transformations, and show the eternal oneness behind all change.'

Remarkable. Translated poetry which retains it's essence. Towards the end of the book we are confronted with several existential poems dealing with mortality. The commentary throughout the book is of the high standard necessary when considering Hesse. Bravo Ludwig Max Fischer.

'All blossoms will wilt,
each youth fold into the mold of age.
Wisdom and virtue never last forever.
Your heart must always be ready to leave
and ready to begin again,
must form new bonds
with courage and without regret.
Every beginning offers a magic power
that protects us and helps us to endure.

This Journey through the realms of life
was not meant to end in one home only.
World spirit does not want to tie us down,
wants us to soar into the open.
When we stay too long in one place,
get stuck in norm and habit, we wear out.

Only embarking o new, unknown journeys
can free us from the prison of stagnation.

Maybe the moment of our death too
is just another gate to new dimensions.
The call of life to us will never end.
Well, then, my heart, take leave and heal.'

An extract of the commentary (Editor's words, not Hesse):

'Our brothers in this invisible community are always available, ready to advise us and immediately accessible by reaching for a book or a few clicks on the internet. The poetic wisdom of Rilke, Rumi, Kabir, Hafiz, Goethe, Yates, T.S. Elliot, just to name a few.'

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer Hesse the poet to Hesse the novelist, and this collection of previously unpublished spiritual poems, arranged by category, is a nice selection. The final poems on old age and death were particularly revelatory, as Hesse expresses that all paths end short of their goal, since all paths end in death. Only in embracing this idea are we truly free.

While I normally enjoy critical commentaries or the notes of translators, the introduction to each section by Fischer is more disruptive than anything. I wish he had just collected them into a single introduction divided into five parts at the beginning of the book, which I would have read after reading the poems. As it stands, the commentary interrupts the focus on the verse and pushes too hard on a New Age spiritualism that always turns me off to Hesse. Ironically, Hesse seemed ambivalent to such collectives in his lifetime, and certainly in his poetry. I wonder what he would have thought of the way his life and letters were co-opted in the latter decades of the 20th century. In any case, the poems are worth a look almost as a connection between the Romanticism of the 19th century and the confessional poetry of the late-20th.

[Haleh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly loved his poems about nature. How many times we have sat silently listening to the gentle sound of the rain on the window and been able to hear so much.

Rain at Night

The sound of rain slipped into my sleep
and touched me until I woke.
Now I hear the rain and feel it.
Its thousand voices fill the night,
each drop a message moist and cool.
It whispers, laughs, and groans.

Enchanted, I begin to listen
to its symphony of flowing tones.

After the dry, hard notes
of unrelenting sunny days
the rain’s sad, mellow sorrow
calls me like a sobbing soul.

I keep a child buried in my heart
deep beneath lots of pride and hard scales of conceit.
But someday the child will shatter the armor
and burst out in a torrent of tears.

Long-held walls of separation will crumble
and what was silenced will reclaim its voice.
New joy, new grief will gush freely
and this is how my soul grows wide.

[othryswhisper]

Rain at Night
The sound of rain slipped into my sleep and touched me until I woke.
Now I hear the rain and feel it.
Its thousand voices fill the night,
each drop a message moist and cool. It whispers, laughs, and groans. Enchanted, I begin to listen
to its symphony of flowing tones.
After the dry, hard notes
of unrelenting sunny days the rain’s sad, mellow sorrow calls me like a sobbing soul.
I keep a child buried in my heart
deep beneath lots of pride and hard scales of conceit. But someday the child will shatter the armor
and burst out in a torrent of tears. Long-held walls of separation will crumble and what was silenced will reclaim its voice.
New joy, new grief will gush freely and this is how my soul grows wide.

[Muhammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the books of the world
will not bring you happiness,
but build a secret path
toward your heart.

What you need is in you:
the sun, the stars, the moon,
the illumination you were seeking
shines up from within you.

The quest for wisdom
made you comb the libraries.
Now every page speaks the truth
that flashes forth from you.

Books by Herman Hesse

I read Siddartha a few years ago and honestly wasn't that impressed. The Journey to the East was a much more profound read for me at the time I read it. Until I read his poetry I wasn't sure where to categorize Hermann Hesse but after reading The Seasons of the Soul I can say truthfully, I've found another of my friends today!

[teepyteeps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing translation, I was so ready to hate it but Dr. Fischer did more than justice to the original words. To translate poetry with all its depth and meaning is a true feat achieved only by those with a genuinely deep understanding of the author and their message, and this book exemplifies that. His commentaries were also incredibly thoughtful and I actually cared what he had to say which I usually don’t when it comes to writers discussing stuff I like. I’m excited to read his second collection and am seriously contemplating bothering this man to translate more of Hesse’s untranslated work.

“God lives in me, God dies in me, God suffers in my soul: that is enough purpose. Right or wrong, flower or fruit, nothing but names, it is all the same”

[Abeer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not an avid reader of poetry, and when I initially started reading this I thought this was a good 101 book since the metaphors and allusions are fairly easy to grasp. But, this book ended up being much more, the words feel like you're outside on a day where the sun is beaming lightly on you and a gentle breeze flows by you. It's cathartic, filled with common sense wisdom we tend to forget. Spiritually a reminder of why we're here, and a contemplative look on how to approach everything. He writes in a very relatable way, sometimes I felt like it was written just for me. A good book for learning how to fit in spiritually in a modern world.