West-Eastern Divan

What it is

This is Goethe's poetry collection West-Eastern Divan, divided into twelve books, inspired by the Persian poet Hafiz. The item here is a scanned copy of a 1914 English translation by Edward Dowden, published in London and Toronto.

Why it matters

Written late in Goethe's life, this work shows his growing fascination with literature beyond Europe, especially Persian poetry, and his effort to bring different cultural traditions into conversation with German poetry. The foreword calls it Goethe's last important body of lyrical poetry, underlining its place as a capstone to his poetic career.

Look closer

• Why might a European poet near the end of his life turn to a foreign poetic tradition for inspiration?
• What does the dedication to "the English Goethe Society" suggest about how this translation was valued by later readers?
• What is gained and what is lost when poetry is translated from German into English?