Analysis of Auf Sich Selbst

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 1729 (Kamenz, Upper Lusatia) – 1781 (Braunschweig)



Ich habe nicht stets Lust zu lesen.
Ich habe nicht stets Lust zu schreiben.
Ich habe nicht stets Lust zu denken;
Kurzum, nicht immer zu studieren.

Doch hab ich allzeit Lust zu scherzen.
Doch hab ich allzeit Lust zu lieben.
Doch hab ich allzeit Lust zu trinken;
Kurz, allezeit vergnuegt zu leben.

Verdenkt ihr mirs, ihr sauern Alten?
Ihr habt ja allzeit Lust zu geizen;
Ihr habt ja allzeit Lust zu lehren;
Ihr habt ja allzeit Lust zu tadeln.

Was ihr tut, ist des Alters Folge.
Was ich tu, will die Jugend haben.
Ich goenn euch eure Lust von Herzen.
Wollt ihr mir nicht die meine goennen?


Scheme AAAA AAAA AAAA XAAA
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 1111111 1111111 1111111 11111 1111111 1111111 1111111 111110 111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 11111101 1111111 1111111 1111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 579
Words 109
Sentences 13
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 115
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 05, 2023

32 sec read
67

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature. He is widely considered by theatre historians to be the first dramaturg in his role at Abel Seyler's Hamburg National Theatre. more…

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