Love
Suleika: Zephyr, for thy humid wing
Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring (1853) · From West-Eastern Divan
ZEPHYR, for thy humid wing,
Oh, how much I envy thee!
Thou to him canst tidings bring
How our parting saddens me!
In my breast, a yearning still
As thy pinions wave, appears;
Flow'rs and eyes, and wood, and hill
At thy breath are steeped in tears.
Yet thy mild wing gives relief,
Soothes the aching eyelid's pain;
Ah, I else had died for grief,
Him ne'er hoped to see again.
To my love, then, quick repair,
Whisper softly to his heart;
Yet, to give him pain, beware,
Nor my bosom's pangs impart.
Tell him, but in accents coy,
That his love must be my life;
Both, with feelings fraught with joy,
In his presence will be rife.
Cite this poem
MLA
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “Suleika: Zephyr, for thy humid wing.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/370/.
Chicago
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “Suleika: Zephyr, for thy humid wing.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/370/.
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