Love

Hatem: Hold me, locks, securely caught

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749–1832

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

Love

HOLD me, locks, securely caught
In the circle of her face!
Dear brown serpents, I have nought
To repay this act of grace,
Save a heart whose love ne'er dies,

Throbbing with aye-youthful glow;
For a raging ETA lies
'Neath its veil of mist and snow.
Yonder mountain's stately brow

Thou, like morning beams, dost shame;
Once again feels Hatem now
Spring's soft breath and summer's flame.
One more bumper! Fill the glass;

This last cup I pledge to thee!--
By mine ashes if she pass,
"He consumed," she'll say, "for me."

MLA

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “Hatem: Hold me, locks, securely caught.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/364/.

Chicago

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “Hatem: Hold me, locks, securely caught.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/364/.

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