Three Palinodias - 01

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)



"Incense is hut a tribute for the gods,--
To mortals 'tis but poison."

THE smoke that from thine altar blows,

Can it the gods offend?
For I observe thou hold'st thy nose--

Pray what does this portend?
Mankind deem incense to excel

Each other earthly thing,
So he that cannot bear its smell,

No incense e'er should bring.

With unmoved face by thee at least

To dolls is homage given;
If not obstructed by the priest,

The scent mounts up to heaven.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

26 sec read
390

Quick analysis:

Scheme XA B CB CD ED E F AF A
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 440
Words 86
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and politician. more…

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