Gedichte

Gedichte is the collective title for Goethe's poems, gathered in many editions over his lifetime. They include songs, ballads, love poems, nature lyrics, epigrams and reflective verse. Well-known pieces include The Erl-King, The Fisherman and Wanderer's Night Song. Their language is clear and musical, and many were set to music by composers such as Schubert. Together they show the range of his voice, from youthful passion to calm late wisdom, and they are central to German lyric poetry.