Social Commentaries
It is a fault oneself to praise
Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring (1853) · From West-Eastern Divan
Social Commentaries
IT is a fault oneself to praise,
And yet 'tis done by each whose deeds are kind;
And if there's no deceit in what he says,
The good we still as good shall find.
Let, then, ye fools, that wise man taste
Of joy, who fancies that he s wise,
That he, a fool like you, may waste
Th' insipid thanks the world supplies.
Cite this poem
MLA
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “It is a fault oneself to praise.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/335/.
Chicago
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “It is a fault oneself to praise.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/335/.
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