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Roman Elegies and Venetian Epigrams
English, German
228 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1795
52 people are currently reading
1072 people want to read
About the author
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
13.3k books6,839 followersA master of poetry, drama, and the novel, German writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent 50 years on his two-part dramatic poem
Faust
, published in 1808 and 1832, also conducted scientific research in various fields, notably botany, and held several governmental positions.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 26, 2019
Preface
Introduction
Select Bibliography
Chronology
--Römische Elegien / Roman Elegies
--Aus den Venezianischen Epigrammen / from the Venetian Epigrams
--Das Tagebuch / The Diary
Translator's Postscript
Explanatory Notes
Index to 'Roman Elegies'
Index to 'Venetian Epigrams'
Introduction
Select Bibliography
Chronology
--Römische Elegien / Roman Elegies
--Aus den Venezianischen Epigrammen / from the Venetian Epigrams
--Das Tagebuch / The Diary
Translator's Postscript
Explanatory Notes
Index to 'Roman Elegies'
Index to 'Venetian Epigrams'
April 11, 2019
Da der Besucher des Goethe-Haus' in Weimar durch die Glasvitrine leider nur einen oberflächlichen Blick auf die Sammlung erotischer Gemmen werfen kann, freute ich mich über den Fund dieses Büchleins. Hierin sind 37 Radierungen Carl Heinz Roons zu finden, die sich an diese Gemmen-Sammlung anlehnen, jede einzelne eingeleitet mit sinnlichen bis pikanten Versen Goethes.
Ein frivol-geschmackvoller Druck.
Ein frivol-geschmackvoller Druck.
August 11, 2012
Goethe never meant for these poems to be published; these are as personal as they are candid. Do not, however, come to this book in search for an 18th century version of 50 Shades. It is 18th century poetry, after all, and a lot of it is hard to follow because the references are so outdated. Still, it's worth reading. I loved the part where he spoke of writing poetry while watching his lover sleep, counting meter by tapping on her naked back. Beautiful! Too bad I don't speak German, to fully appreciate the beauty of his writing.
November 16, 2009
18th century epigrams and elegies dedicated to cunts and cocks. Would have made an awesome impression on a high school required reading list.
January 5, 2017
While this gave me a new understanding of Goethe, not many poems stood out to me.
October 16, 2016
Eine durchaus spannende wie amüsante Lektüre. Den angesehenen Herrn Goethe, der mir seit jeher als maskierter Lustmolch erschien, einmal erotisch ausschweifend und frech zu lesen, ist schon ein Erlebnis für sich. Der Abdruck des Gemäldes einer schlummernden Nymphe, im Hintergrund von dem wollüstigen Pan anvisiert, könnte nicht besser zur Stimmung dieser Lektüre passen. -
Da es sich jedoch, wie bereits im Untertitel angekündigt, allein um eine Sammlung von Skizzen und Fragmenten aus Goethes wohlgehüteten erotischen Wortschatzes handelt, liest sich dieses Büchlein gar zu holprig. Obwohl der Herausgeber allerorts bemüht ist, die fehlenden Zusammenhänge mit Erklärungen auszugleichen, gelingt es ihm leider nicht, die störende Atmosphäre von Lückenhaftigkeit zu vereiteln.
Da es sich jedoch, wie bereits im Untertitel angekündigt, allein um eine Sammlung von Skizzen und Fragmenten aus Goethes wohlgehüteten erotischen Wortschatzes handelt, liest sich dieses Büchlein gar zu holprig. Obwohl der Herausgeber allerorts bemüht ist, die fehlenden Zusammenhänge mit Erklärungen auszugleichen, gelingt es ihm leider nicht, die störende Atmosphäre von Lückenhaftigkeit zu vereiteln.
Want to read
April 25, 2018erotik şiirler ama kapak enteresan bir biçimde epik.
January 11, 2022
3.5
While I do restrain myself from the fact that this is a very personal collection of his poetry, I can safely say that these works...intrigued me. When I think of Goethe, I imagine an intelligent, outgoing and pantheistic individual, who takes delight in cultivating his garden. I have read Werther, and am aware of the intensity of its drama but this is another extreme.
An interesting part about the poems, especially in the Roman Elegies is the constant allusions to classical art. Figures such as Eros, Bacchus, Juno, Jupiter, and other mythological entities serve a purpose - to further emphasize the underlying pan-erotic themes. Concerning sex, Goethe describes it as a way for us to achieve God status. When in mutual consummation, two entities create Love, which is a physical, mortal creation, but abstract in the grander sense.
The overall quality of the poems is up for debate. There were some beautiful moments for me, like the end of the Roman Elegies. Other than that it was a very redundant read. Relatives and friends know that I am not a sexual connoiseur, and I do not like erotic insinuations in my books but I pardon my inhibitions from time to time. For those interested in early Romanticism, this will definitely help you with understanding not just Goethe's view on life but on the German literary scene during the 18th century.
While I do restrain myself from the fact that this is a very personal collection of his poetry, I can safely say that these works...intrigued me. When I think of Goethe, I imagine an intelligent, outgoing and pantheistic individual, who takes delight in cultivating his garden. I have read Werther, and am aware of the intensity of its drama but this is another extreme.
An interesting part about the poems, especially in the Roman Elegies is the constant allusions to classical art. Figures such as Eros, Bacchus, Juno, Jupiter, and other mythological entities serve a purpose - to further emphasize the underlying pan-erotic themes. Concerning sex, Goethe describes it as a way for us to achieve God status. When in mutual consummation, two entities create Love, which is a physical, mortal creation, but abstract in the grander sense.
The overall quality of the poems is up for debate. There were some beautiful moments for me, like the end of the Roman Elegies. Other than that it was a very redundant read. Relatives and friends know that I am not a sexual connoiseur, and I do not like erotic insinuations in my books but I pardon my inhibitions from time to time. For those interested in early Romanticism, this will definitely help you with understanding not just Goethe's view on life but on the German literary scene during the 18th century.
January 8, 2013
I have a hard time with poems so 4 stars is a high rating from me, but any rating from me is next to worthless.
February 20, 2018
This is nice for how fun and spirited it is. By no means is Goethe going for something heavy, but although the poems aren’t entirely remarkable by themselves, it’s interesting for its mood which couples classical love elegies with German romanticism, which puts it in a place of playful indulgence which is neither cynical nor naïve. It’s never distant or mocking, even if he occasionally makes a joke comparing a loose pussy to a venetian canal. It’s a controlled and knowing revelry which aims closer to the sensual than the vulgar, but never lets any poetic high minded pretensions sacrifice the latter. That said, this isn’t wholly essential when it comes to Goethe but it’s short and enjoyable enough, and it’s best as a companion read to his Italian Journey.
July 30, 2014
I don't like this translation as well as the one that's available for free through Project Gutenberg.
April 18, 2022
Geothe knew what's up
September 14, 2024
This books collects all of the Roman Elegies, forty-one of the 100-ish Venetian epigrams, and all of the Diary with parallel German text. It is translated by David Luke, who also deals with the notes, and has a useful introduction from Hans Rudolph Vaget. The translation was originally published in 1988, although my copy is a 2008 reissue.
There is so crossover with the Penguin Classic 'Selected Poetry', which was also translated and introduced by David Luke. So it is possible that the text is the same. Unfortunately I took my 'Selected Poetry' back to the library. The 'Selected Poetry' doesn't contain as much of either the Roman Elegies or the Venetian epigrams though. It does contain the whole Diary.
The poems balance an awareness of classical poetry - especially Tibullus, Ovid, and Propertius - and myth with an 18th century modernity of subject. Love is the main subject here and that includes lust. If that's not too unpoetic a term.
Not everything here was published during his lifetime. Either through his own caution or his later translators hesitancy. Some of that is because of, let us call it, 'vulgarity' and some because of its pagan anti-Christian position. After all in one of these poems he rhymes 'Christe' with 'Iste', which is the word he has chosen for penis. I mean that isn't going to go down well in the 18th century. And also there's something like this:
I'm not surprised that our Lord Jesus Christ liked consorting with sinners
And with whores; after all, that's just what I fancy too.
Or the suggestion that a young female acrobat might be so flexible that...well...let Goethe tell it
She'll end up with her delicate tongue in her delicate p***y,
Learning to play with herself: what will her lovers do then?
And look at me editing it myself. In 2024.
The Epigrams are usually a little spicier than the Elegies, but even there the 24 poems are topped and tailed with Priapus and talk about prostitution and the dangers of syphilis, which disadvantage the modern lover versus the ancient who didn't have that to fear.
The Diary is a longer poem that talks about a married man returning from a business trip who is held up by a broken carriage wheel. He must wait in an inn where he makes plans with a maid in the inn for a late night assignation, but his body lets him down and so he watches her sleep whilst he talks about how this hasn't happened before, about how the penis has ideas of its own and when things start to actually stir he, thinking on his wife and their love, can't bring himself to act upon his original intentions.
All of this shouldn't hold back from how good the poetry actually is, especially in the Elegies and The Diary.
There is so crossover with the Penguin Classic 'Selected Poetry', which was also translated and introduced by David Luke. So it is possible that the text is the same. Unfortunately I took my 'Selected Poetry' back to the library. The 'Selected Poetry' doesn't contain as much of either the Roman Elegies or the Venetian epigrams though. It does contain the whole Diary.
The poems balance an awareness of classical poetry - especially Tibullus, Ovid, and Propertius - and myth with an 18th century modernity of subject. Love is the main subject here and that includes lust. If that's not too unpoetic a term.
Not everything here was published during his lifetime. Either through his own caution or his later translators hesitancy. Some of that is because of, let us call it, 'vulgarity' and some because of its pagan anti-Christian position. After all in one of these poems he rhymes 'Christe' with 'Iste', which is the word he has chosen for penis. I mean that isn't going to go down well in the 18th century. And also there's something like this:
I'm not surprised that our Lord Jesus Christ liked consorting with sinners
And with whores; after all, that's just what I fancy too.
Or the suggestion that a young female acrobat might be so flexible that...well...let Goethe tell it
She'll end up with her delicate tongue in her delicate p***y,
Learning to play with herself: what will her lovers do then?
And look at me editing it myself. In 2024.
The Epigrams are usually a little spicier than the Elegies, but even there the 24 poems are topped and tailed with Priapus and talk about prostitution and the dangers of syphilis, which disadvantage the modern lover versus the ancient who didn't have that to fear.
The Diary is a longer poem that talks about a married man returning from a business trip who is held up by a broken carriage wheel. He must wait in an inn where he makes plans with a maid in the inn for a late night assignation, but his body lets him down and so he watches her sleep whilst he talks about how this hasn't happened before, about how the penis has ideas of its own and when things start to actually stir he, thinking on his wife and their love, can't bring himself to act upon his original intentions.
All of this shouldn't hold back from how good the poetry actually is, especially in the Elegies and The Diary.
August 22, 2021
Goethe saw beyond the petty morals and hypocrisy of his day, embracing an openly sensuous life in defiance of the protestant norms. While he could see past the provincial morals, unfortunately he could not quite see past the misogyny and social constraints put on women in his day. (Or the double standard inherent in the poetic tradition inherited from the Roman poets.)
While I was hoping for deeply sensuous, uncensored writings about love and passion, I mostly got Roman locker room talk, highly stylized and elegiac as it was. Any concerns for the woman, her greater risks, or a general sense of the truth or honesty, is sorely deficient or completely lacking.
There are some beautiful writings. But most of it is in the tradition of the Romans – a guy trying to get laid with as often as possible with as little trouble or bad repute as possible. Oh, and some passing concerns about the woman he supposedly “loves” so much he’s going to leave her in a few months when he tires of her. Okay.
Granted, Goethe was probably more of a feminist than the vast majority of men of his age, but that’s not saying a whole lot. But overall there’s not a lot here for the modern reader other than a lesson in the Greek/Roman tradition of erotic poetry.
Additionally, I found the translation lacking. I was simultaneously reading the poems in German, and I found many liberties taken with the translation. Just to cite one example, at the end of the final elegy, Goethe wrote:
Soll das Glied nicht ermüden, als bis ihr die Dutzend Figuren
Durchgenossen, wie sie künstlich Philänis erfand.
The author translated it as:
May your member not tire, until you have both done the dozen
Figures Philaenis describes, finished the dance of your joy.
Here’s my rough literal translation:
May/should the limb/member not tire until you thoroughly enjoyed
The dozen figures as inventively Philaenis created them.
Um, where’d the “dance of joy” in the original? And this is just one small example. I see this often in translations and I don’t know why they can’t stick to the original words or close to them. Very nice though it is.
While I was hoping for deeply sensuous, uncensored writings about love and passion, I mostly got Roman locker room talk, highly stylized and elegiac as it was. Any concerns for the woman, her greater risks, or a general sense of the truth or honesty, is sorely deficient or completely lacking.
There are some beautiful writings. But most of it is in the tradition of the Romans – a guy trying to get laid with as often as possible with as little trouble or bad repute as possible. Oh, and some passing concerns about the woman he supposedly “loves” so much he’s going to leave her in a few months when he tires of her. Okay.
Granted, Goethe was probably more of a feminist than the vast majority of men of his age, but that’s not saying a whole lot. But overall there’s not a lot here for the modern reader other than a lesson in the Greek/Roman tradition of erotic poetry.
Additionally, I found the translation lacking. I was simultaneously reading the poems in German, and I found many liberties taken with the translation. Just to cite one example, at the end of the final elegy, Goethe wrote:
Soll das Glied nicht ermüden, als bis ihr die Dutzend Figuren
Durchgenossen, wie sie künstlich Philänis erfand.
The author translated it as:
May your member not tire, until you have both done the dozen
Figures Philaenis describes, finished the dance of your joy.
Here’s my rough literal translation:
May/should the limb/member not tire until you thoroughly enjoyed
The dozen figures as inventively Philaenis created them.
Um, where’d the “dance of joy” in the original? And this is just one small example. I see this often in translations and I don’t know why they can’t stick to the original words or close to them. Very nice though it is.
November 23, 2022
3.5 / 5.0
My slightly-too-ambitious idea of learning German with Goethe (with previous experience solely from Duolingo and Brüder Grimm) might have not been as enriching as I hoped it to be, but I most certainly do not regret my mad leap. After all, one of the main goals for learning new languages for me is the ability to enjoy the works of the great literature figures of that language. Yet it does grate on one when one can hardly pass a line without having to check something on Wiktionary...
As for the contents, I was pleasantly surprised at the refreshing, virile vim Goethe expressed in his Elegies. The Roman Elegies were enwrapped in beautiful Tibullo-Ovidian metaphors and mythology, which more or less consecrate the beauty of eroticism, turning it into stagnant yet oh-so-beautiful sculptures that tickle both fancy and fu-fum. As for the Venetian Epigrams, I could've taken or left them: mostly they were just mildly humorous/crude/pointless musings, and the Diary scribbles left me rather lukewarm as well.
My slightly-too-ambitious idea of learning German with Goethe (with previous experience solely from Duolingo and Brüder Grimm) might have not been as enriching as I hoped it to be, but I most certainly do not regret my mad leap. After all, one of the main goals for learning new languages for me is the ability to enjoy the works of the great literature figures of that language. Yet it does grate on one when one can hardly pass a line without having to check something on Wiktionary...
As for the contents, I was pleasantly surprised at the refreshing, virile vim Goethe expressed in his Elegies. The Roman Elegies were enwrapped in beautiful Tibullo-Ovidian metaphors and mythology, which more or less consecrate the beauty of eroticism, turning it into stagnant yet oh-so-beautiful sculptures that tickle both fancy and fu-fum. As for the Venetian Epigrams, I could've taken or left them: mostly they were just mildly humorous/crude/pointless musings, and the Diary scribbles left me rather lukewarm as well.
April 11, 2021
The following are my unorganized reflections purely written for my future reference:
I like the sentiment expressed in the first poem of the Elegies that does not accept those who judge into the garden of earthy pleasures. The first 3 poems of this collection also made me lol actually.
The Venetian Epigrams were the least memorable and enjoyable.
The Diary is delightfully written and expresses the idea of love’s power over duty in maintaining the sanctity of marriage.
I like the sentiment expressed in the first poem of the Elegies that does not accept those who judge into the garden of earthy pleasures. The first 3 poems of this collection also made me lol actually.
The Venetian Epigrams were the least memorable and enjoyable.
The Diary is delightfully written and expresses the idea of love’s power over duty in maintaining the sanctity of marriage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2024
"Doesn’t surprise me that Christ our Lord
preferred to live with whores
& sinners, seeing
I go in for that myself."
Didn't realize how much of a womanizer and erotic writer Goethe was until now.
preferred to live with whores
& sinners, seeing
I go in for that myself."
Didn't realize how much of a womanizer and erotic writer Goethe was until now.
April 25, 2024
This was really fun for museum lit. My favorite was the short one about how if you get tired of girls you can use them as boys. Glad to read this kind of content from a setting that usually is seen so prudish by most. The Venetian Epigrams contained the best material.
July 23, 2019
interesting change of pace for Geothe
July 10, 2020
Some things never change.
May 28, 2023
4.5⭐️
September 18, 2023
Ma proprio perché è Goethe.
August 21, 2025
ერთი დიდებული და უცნაური კაცის პირად ჩანაწერებს ჰგავს, რაღაც ძალიან დელიკატურს, სხვებისთვის რომ დაენანება ავტორს, გოეთესაც კი!!!
September 29, 2025
le kiappone
August 13, 2021
Not that erotic, more sad Goethe than horny Goethe.
January 15, 2020
Würde null Sterne geben, wenn möglich. Ist ein Schaß!
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