Living

In the Koran with strange delight

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749–1832

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

Living

IN the Koran with strange delight
A peacock's feather met my sight:
Thou'rt welcome in this holy place,
The highest prize on earth's wide face!
As in the stars of heaven, in thee,
God's greatness in the small we see;
For he whose gaze whole worlds bath bless'd
His eye hath even here impress'd,
And the light down in beauty dress'd,
So that e'en monarchs cannot hope
In splendour with the bird to cope.
Meekly enjoy thy happy lot,
And so deserve that holy spot!

MLA

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “In the Koran with strange delight.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/378/.

Chicago

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. “In the Koran with strange delight.” Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/goethe/378/.

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