Living

"Wherefore is truth so far from our eyes

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749–1832

Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring (1853) · From West-Eastern Divan

Living

"WHEREFORE is truth so far from our eyes,
Buried as though in a distant land?"
None at the proper moment are wise!
Could they properly understand,

Truth would appear in her own sweet guise,
Beauteous, gentle, and close at hand.

MLA

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “"Wherefore is truth so far from our eyes.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/345/.

Chicago

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “"Wherefore is truth so far from our eyes.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/345/.

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