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Ode to joy
English, German
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1987
About the author
Friedrich Schiller
5,532 books878 followersPeople best know long didactic poems and historical plays, such as
Don Carlos
(1787) and
William Tell
(1804), of leading romanticist German poet, dramatist, and historian Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller.
This philosopher and dramatist struck up a productive if complicated friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe during the last eighteen years of his life and encouraged Goethe to finish works that he left merely as sketches; they greatly discussed issues concerning aesthetics and thus gave way to a period, now referred to as classicism of Weimar. They also worked together on Die Xenien ( The Xenies ), a collection of short but harsh satires that verbally attacked perceived enemies of their aesthetic agenda.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedri...
This philosopher and dramatist struck up a productive if complicated friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe during the last eighteen years of his life and encouraged Goethe to finish works that he left merely as sketches; they greatly discussed issues concerning aesthetics and thus gave way to a period, now referred to as classicism of Weimar. They also worked together on Die Xenien ( The Xenies ), a collection of short but harsh satires that verbally attacked perceived enemies of their aesthetic agenda.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedri...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 30, 2025
When Words Sing: My Encounter with Schiller’s Ode to Joy
Reading Friedrich Schiller’s Ode to Joy felt like being caught in a rising wave of something bigger than myself. It’s not just a poem—it’s an anthem, a call to unity, to brotherhood, to the kind of joy that burns brighter than mere happiness. I didn’t just read it; I felt it swell inside me.
Schiller’s words are bold and full of belief. He writes of joy as a divine force that binds all people, even the most divided. For him, joy is what makes us reach out to one another, what lifts us from despair into light. And I found myself wanting to believe that too.
The rhythm is almost musical—no wonder Beethoven made it immortal. But in reading the original text, I saw more than melody. I saw a fierce hope, a dream of a better world, written not with naïveté, but with courage.
Ode to Joy is timeless. It made me pause, breathe, and remember that despite everything, there’s still something in us that longs to be one.
Reading Friedrich Schiller’s Ode to Joy felt like being caught in a rising wave of something bigger than myself. It’s not just a poem—it’s an anthem, a call to unity, to brotherhood, to the kind of joy that burns brighter than mere happiness. I didn’t just read it; I felt it swell inside me.
Schiller’s words are bold and full of belief. He writes of joy as a divine force that binds all people, even the most divided. For him, joy is what makes us reach out to one another, what lifts us from despair into light. And I found myself wanting to believe that too.
The rhythm is almost musical—no wonder Beethoven made it immortal. But in reading the original text, I saw more than melody. I saw a fierce hope, a dream of a better world, written not with naïveté, but with courage.
Ode to Joy is timeless. It made me pause, breathe, and remember that despite everything, there’s still something in us that longs to be one.
July 12, 2014
My favorite line, "Brueder, trinkt und stimmet ein/ Allen Suendern soll vergeben/ Und die Hoelle nicht mehr sein."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews