Primary sourceBook1771
Welcome and Farewell
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · 1771
A love poem Goethe wrote for Friederike Brion, marking his turn to personal, experiential lyric poetry.
This early poem about Friederike Brion shows young Goethe's personal, emotional turn in poetry.
About this source
What it is
"Welcome and Farewell" (Willkommen und Abschied) is a poem written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, likely in spring 1771 after he went to Strasbourg. It was first published in 1775 in the magazine Iris, as part of the collection Sesenheimer Lieder.
Why it matters
Written in the spirit of the Sturm und Drang movement, the poem was inspired by Goethe's feelings for Friederike Brion, the daughter of a parson in Sesenheim. It marks an early shift in his poetry toward direct, personal, experiential emotion rather than conventional verse. The poem was later set to music by composers including Franz Schubert.
Look closer
- What feelings does the poem move through, from its title's two halves?
- Why might a poem about a real, named relationship feel different from one about myth or legend?
- What can a love poem tell historians about a writer's early life, even without naming facts directly?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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