“The glow retreats, done is the day of toil;
It yonder hastes, new fields of life exploring;
Ah, that no wing can lift me from the soil
Upon its track to follow, follow soaring!
A glorious dream! though now the glories fade.
Alas! the wings that lift the mind no aid
Of wings to lift the body can bequeath me.”

—  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , book Faust

Source: Faust. Translation by Bayard Taylor

Original

Sie rückt und weicht, der Tag ist überlebt, Dort eilt sie hin und fördert neues Leben. O! daß kein Flügel mich vom Boden hebt, Ihr nach und immer nach zu streben! Ein schöner Traum, indessen sie entweicht. Ach! zu des Geistes Flügeln wird so leicht Kein körperlicher Flügel sich gesellen!

Last update Nov. 11, 2022. History

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 185
German writer, artist, and politician 1749–1832

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