Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heinewas a German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Liederby composers such as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. Heine's later verse and prose are distinguished by their satirical wit and irony. He is considered part of the Young Germany movement. His radical political views led to many of his works being banned by German authorities. Heine spent...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth13 December 1797
CountryGermany
The night comes stealing o'er me, And clouds are on the sea; While the wavelets rustle before me With a mystical melody.
The lotus flower is troubled At the sun's resplendent light; With sunken head and sadly She dreamily waits for the night.
Perhaps already I am dead, And these perhaps are phantoms vain;— These motley phantasies that pass At night through my disordered brain. Perhaps with ancient heathen shapes, Old faded gods, this brain is full; Who, for their most unholy rites, Have chosen a dead poet's skull...
The foolish race of mankind are swarming below in the night; they shriek and rage and quarrel - and all of them are right.
Thinking of Germany in the night robs me of my sleep.
In blissful dream, in silent night, There came to me, with magic might, With magic might, my own sweet love, Into my little room above.
At noon I feel as though I could devour all the elephants of Hindostan, and then pick my teeth with the spire of Strasburg cathedral; in the evening I become so sentimental that I would fain drink up the Milky Way without reflecting how indigestible I should find the little fixed stars, and by night there is the Devil himself broke loose in my head and no mistake.
The beauteous eyes of the spring's fair night With comfort are downward gazing.
In dark ages people are best guided by religion, as in a pitch-black night a blind man is the best guide; he knows the roads and paths better than a man who can see. When daylight comes, however, it is foolish to use blind, old men as guides.
Poverty sits by the cradle of all our great men, and rocks them up to manhood; and this meager foster-mother remains their faithful companion throughout life
We should forgive our enemies, but only after they have been hanged first.
Whether a revolutions succeeds or fails people of great hearts will always be sacrificed to it.
Wherever they burn books they will also end up burning people.
If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found the time to conquer the world