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THE INKLINGO LANGUAGE GUIDES

German Poems: Short Classics and Seasonal Verse

Read nine complete German poems with an original English translation for every line. Begin with a quiet eight-line Goethe poem or Morgenstern’s three sparrows, then explore love, nature, Christmas and Advent. The historical editions are identified, and older spellings are explained.

9 entries · Updated

An open poetry book beside a flower, a fountain pen and a small cloud

Start here

  1. Above All the PeaksAbove all the peaks
  2. The Three SparrowsIn a bare hazel bush
  3. It Is SpringSpring lets its blue ribbon
  4. Wanderer’s Night SongYou who come from heaven,
  5. Autumn DayLord: it is time. The summer was very great.
  6. The PantherHis gaze, from the passing of the bars,
  7. The LoreleiI do not know what it means
  8. ChristmasMarket and streets stand deserted,
  9. AdventIn the winter forest the wind drives

Short German Poems for Beginners

Short does not always mean simple: notice how familiar words build images of rest, affection and winter.

Three sparrows nestled in a hazel bush beside a flower and a peaceful hill
1

Above All the Peaks

Ueber allen Gipfeln
Above all the peaks
Ist Ruh’,
There is rest;
In allen Wipfeln
In all the treetops
Spürest du
You feel
Kaum einen Hauch;
Barely a breath;
Die Vögelein im Walde.
The little birds are silent in the forest.
Warte , balde
Just wait; soon
Ruhest du auch.
You too will rest.

Full public-domain text · Johann Wolfgang von Goethe died in 1832; the cited text was published in 1827, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), Ein gleiches, Werke, volume 1 (1827), p. 99

The still landscape leads into a personal promise of rest. Ueber is the edition’s spelling of Über; balde is a poetic form of bald.

A quiet mountain ridge above treetops at duskSource note
2

Wanderer’s Night Song

Der du von dem Himmel bist,
You who come from heaven,
Alles Leid und Schmerzen stillest,
Who quiet all suffering and pain,
Den, der doppelt elend ist,
Who fill the doubly miserable
mit Erquickung füllest,
With double refreshment,
Ach ich bin des Treibens !
Ah, I am tired of all this striving!
Was soll all der und Lust?
What is all this pain and pleasure for?
Süßer Friede,
Sweet peace,
Komm, ach komm in meine Brust!
Come, ah, come into my heart!

Full public-domain text · Johann Wolfgang von Goethe died in 1832; the cited text was published in 1827, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), Wandrers Nachtlied, Werke, volume 1 (1827), p. 99

A direct appeal to peace. Stillest and füllest are older poetic verb forms. The other night song on this page is titled Ein gleiches in the edition.

A resting traveler under a calm evening skySource note
3

The Three Sparrows

In einem leeren Haselstrauch
In a bare hazel bush
da drei Spatzen, Bauch an Bauch.
Three sparrows sit, belly to belly.
Der Erich rechts und der Franz
Erich on the right and Franz on the left,
und drin der freche Hans.
And cheeky Hans right in the middle.
Sie haben die , ganz ,
Their eyes are closed, quite closed,
und obendrüber da schneit es, hu!
And above them it is snowing—brr!
Sie rücken zusammen dicht an dicht.
They huddle together, close against close.
So warm wie der Hans hats niemand nicht.
Nobody is as warm as Hans.
Sie hör’n alle drei ihrer Herzlein Gepoch.
All three hear their little hearts beating.
Und wenn sie nicht weg sind, so sitzen sie .
And if they have not gone away, they are sitting there still.

Full public-domain text · Christian Morgenstern died in 1914; the cited text was published in 1921, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Christian Morgenstern (1871–1914), Klein Irmchen (1921), p. 19

A playful poem for children, with clear positions and repeated sounds. Niemand nicht is a humorous nonstandard double negative; the translation gives its intended meaning. Text only: the later illustration in the source is not reused.

Three fluffy sparrows huddled together on a snowy hazel branchSource note

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Famous German Poems About Nature and Life

Rilke, Mörike and Heine turn weather, animals and a river into reflections on change and feeling.

A panther beside a river landscape with autumn leaves and spring violets
4

It Is Spring

Frühling läßt sein blaues
Spring lets its blue ribbon
Wieder flattern die Lüfte;
Flutter through the air again;
Süße, wohlbekannte Düfte
Sweet, familiar scents
Streifen ahnungsvoll das Land.
Brush the land with a sense of what is coming.
Veilchen ,
Violets are already dreaming,
Wollen balde kommen.
They wish to appear soon.
Horch, von fern ein leiser Harfenton!
Listen, a faint harp note from afar!
Frühling, du bist’s!
Spring, yes, it is you!
Dich hab’ ich vernommen!
I have heard you!

Full public-domain text · Eduard Mörike died in 1875; the cited text was published in 1878, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Eduard Mörike (1804–1875), Er ist’s, Gesammelte Schriften, volume 1 (1878), p. 32

The blue ribbon and awakening violets announce spring through several senses. The source identifies the 1832 publication and reproduces the 1878 collected edition used here.

Blue ribbon drifting over violets in a spring meadowSource note
5

Autumn Day

Herr: es ist Zeit. Der war sehr .
Lord: it is time. The summer was very great.
Leg Deinen auf die Sonnenuhren
Lay your shadow on the sundials
und auf den Fluren laß die Winde los.
And let the winds loose across the fields.
Befiehl den letzten Früchten zu sein;
Command the final fruits to be full;
gieb ihnen noch zwei südlichere
Give them two more days of southern warmth,
dränge sie zur Vollendung hin und jage
Urge them toward ripeness and drive
die letzte Süße in den schweren .
The final sweetness into the heavy wine.
Wer kein hat sich keines mehr.
Whoever has no house now will build none.
Wer ist wird es lange bleiben,
Whoever is alone now will remain so long,
wird wachen, lesen, lange schreiben
Will stay awake, read, write long letters,
und wird in den Alleen hin und her
And along the avenues, back and forth,
unruhig wenn die Blätter .
Will wander restlessly as the leaves drift.

Full public-domain text · Rainer Maria Rilke died in 1926; the cited text was published in 1906, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), Herbsttag, Das Buch der Bilder, second edition (1906), p. 48

The poem moves from ripening fruit to human solitude. Gieb is the older spelling of gib. The punctuation follows the cited edition.

A sundial, ripe grapes and fallen leaves beside an empty avenueSource note
6

The Panther

Sein Blick ist vom Vorübergehn der Stäbe
His gaze, from the passing of the bars,
so müd geworden, daß er nichts mehr hält.
Has grown so tired that it holds nothing anymore.
Ihm ist, als ob es tausend Stäbe gäbe
To him it seems there are a thousand bars
und hinter tausend Stäben keine Welt.
And behind a thousand bars no world.
Der weiche Gang geschmeidig starker Schritte,
The soft pace of supple, powerful steps,
der sich im allerkleinsten Kreise dreht,
Which turns within the smallest circle,
ist wie ein von Kraft um eine Mitte,
Is like a dance of strength around a center
in der betäubt ein Wille steht.
Where a great will stands stunned.
Nur schiebt der der Pupille
Only sometimes does the pupil’s curtain
sich lautlos auf –. Dann ein Bild hinein,
Slide open silently. Then an image enters,
geht der Glieder angespannte Stille –
Passes through the limbs’ tense stillness,
und hört im Herzen auf zu .
And ceases to exist within the heart.

Full public-domain text · Rainer Maria Rilke died in 1926; the cited text was published in 1907, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), Der Panther, Neue Gedichte (1907), p. 37

The subtitle locates the animal in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. The poem imagines how captivity narrows perception, rather than describing a free wild cat.

A dignified panther resting beside a few softly suggested enclosure barsSource note
7

The Lorelei

Ich nicht, was soll es ,
I do not know what it means
Daß ich so traurig bin;
That I am so sad;
Ein Mährchen aus alten Zeiten,
A tale from long ago
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.
Will not leave my mind.
Die Luft ist und es dunkelt,
The air is cool, and it grows dark,
Und ruhig fließt der Rhein;
And the Rhine flows calmly;
Der des Berges funkelt
The mountain’s summit sparkles
Im Abendsonnenschein.
In the evening sunlight.
Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
The loveliest maiden sits
oben
Wonderfully up there;
Ihr gold’nes Geschmeide blitzet,
Her golden jewelry flashes,
Sie kämmt ihr gold’nes .
She combs her golden hair.
Sie kämmt es mit gold’nem Kamme,
She combs it with a golden comb
Und singt ein dabei;
And sings a song as she does;
Das hat eine wundersame,
It has a wondrous,
Gewaltige Melodei.
Powerful melody.
Den im kleinen Schiffe
The boatman in his little boat
Ergreift es mit wildem Weh;
Is seized by wild anguish;
Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,
He does not look at the rocky reefs,
Er schaut nur hinauf in die Höh’.
He looks only up toward the heights.
Ich glaube, die verschlingen
I believe the waves swallow
Am Ende und ;
The boatman and his boat in the end;
Und das hat mit ihrem Singen
And with her singing
Die Lore-Ley gethan.
The Lorelei has brought this about.

Full public-domain text · Heinrich Heine died in 1856; the cited text was published in 1827, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten, Buch der Lieder (1827), pp. 178–179

Heine’s river legend is narrated through uncertainty: Ich glaube means “I believe.” Mährchen and gethan are historical spellings of Märchen and getan.

A golden-haired singer on a Rhine cliff above a small boatSource note

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German Christmas and Advent Poems

Two seasonal poems picture light, stillness and expectation. Their religious imagery belongs to the original texts.

A snowy fir tree beside a warmly lit window and distant stars
8

Christmas

und Straßen stehn verlassen,
Market and streets stand deserted,
Still erleuchtet jedes ,
Every house quietly lit;
Sinnend geh’ ich die Gassen,
Thoughtfully I walk through the lanes,
Alles sieht so festlich aus.
Everything looks so festive.
An den haben Frauen
At the windows women
Buntes Spielzeug fromm geschmückt,
Have devoutly arranged colorful toys;
Tausend Kindlein stehn und schauen,
A thousand little children stand and gaze,
Sind so wunderstill beglückt.
So wondrously quiet in their happiness.
Und ich wandre aus den
And I wander beyond the walls,
Bis hinaus in’s freie ,
Out into the open fields;
Hehres Glänzen, heil’ges Schauern!
Sublime radiance, sacred shivers!
Wie so weit und still die Welt!
How vast and still the world!
Sterne hoch die Kreise schlingen,
Stars trace their circles high above;
Aus des Schneees Einsamkeit
From the snow’s solitude
Steigt’s wie wunderbares Singen –
Something rises like wonderful singing—
O du gnadenreiche Zeit!
O season rich in grace!

Full public-domain text · Joseph von Eichendorff died in 1857; the cited text was published in 1864, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Joseph von Eichendorff (1788–1857), Weihnachten, Sämmtliche Werke, volume 1, second edition (1864), p. 603

The speaker leaves the decorated town for open snowy fields. Hehr means sublime or exalted; Schneees is an older spelling of Schnees.

A quiet Christmas street with lit windows opening onto snowy fieldsSource note
9

Advent

Es treibt der im Winterwalde
In the winter forest the wind drives
Die Flockenheerde wie ein Hirt,
The flock of snowflakes like a shepherd,
Und manche Tanne ahnt, wie balde
And many a fir tree senses how soon
Sie fromm und lichterheilig ;
It will become devout and holy with lights;
Und lauscht hinaus. Den weissen
And listens outward. Toward the white paths
Streckt sie die Zweige hin – ,
It stretches its branches—ready,
Und wehrt dem und wächst entgegen
And resists the wind and grows toward
Der einen Nacht der Herrlichkeit.
That one night of glory.

Full public-domain text · Rainer Maria Rilke died in 1926; the cited text was published in 1898, before 1930. Original English translation by Inklingo.

Intermediate

— Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), Advent, first edition (1898), p. 5

This is the eight-line 1898 version, dated December 1897 in the source, not the later revised 1913 text. The fir anticipates becoming a Christmas tree.

A fir tree stretching its branches over a snowy woodland pathSource note

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Famous German-language authors

Read a full story in Inklingo

Continue with graded stories that explore folklore, nature, and imagination. These are Inklingo adaptations and original stories; each description explains the connection.

The Pied Piper Takes a Wrong Turn (A2)

An A2 variation on the Pied Piper of Hamelin. It changes the familiar ending when a blocked alley interrupts the piper’s revenge.

Read the full story in Inklingo

The Night the House Gnomes Stayed Away (A2)

An A2 variation on Cologne’s Heinzelmännchen legend. A baker breaks the unseen helpers’ rule and must learn to work without them.

Read the full story in Inklingo

German poems: frequently asked questions

Which German poems are easiest for beginners?

Try Goethe’s Ein gleiches or Morgenstern’s Die drei Spatzen. Both are short and use concrete images. Read one line at a time, compare its English translation, then listen to the whole poem.

Who are famous German-language poets?

Goethe, Heinrich Heine and Rainer Maria Rilke are represented here, alongside Eduard Mörike, Joseph von Eichendorff and Christian Morgenstern. German-language poetry includes writers from several countries.

Are there German Christmas poems here?

Yes. Eichendorff’s Weihnachten describes quiet streets and a festive night; Rilke’s Advent imagines a fir tree waiting for its night of lights.

Why do some words have unusual spelling?

These texts follow identified historical editions. Forms such as Ueber, Wehmuth, gieb and Flockenheerde correspond to modern über, Wehmut, gib and Flockenherde. They do not require an invented historical accent.

Are these complete German poems?

Yes. All nine are complete in the identified historical versions, including Rilke’s eight-line 1898 Advent. No stanza is presented as a whole poem when it is only an excerpt.

Are the English translations literal or rhyming?

They are original meaning-focused translations for learners. They preserve images and connections between lines, without forcing English rhyme or copying an existing literary translation.

Make these words part of your day

Explore German stories, listen along, and save vocabulary as you go.

Find a story at your level

Sources and verification

English translations and examples were written for this guide. Source notes distinguish documented expressions, original practice sentences, and literary quotations. Literary excerpts retain the language of their original period.

Source notes for all 9 entries
  1. Above All the Peaks: Complete poem from the cited 1827 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-gipfel] [de-author-goethe]
  2. Wanderer’s Night Song: Complete poem from the cited 1827 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-night] [de-author-goethe]
  3. The Three Sparrows: Complete poem from the cited 1921 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-sparrows] [de-author-morgenstern]
  4. It Is Spring: Complete poem from the cited 1878 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-spring] [de-author-moerike]
  5. Autumn Day: Complete poem from the cited 1906 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-herbst] [de-author-rilke]
  6. The Panther: Complete poem from the cited 1907 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-panther] [de-author-rilke]
  7. The Lorelei: Complete poem from the cited 1827 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-loreley] [de-author-heine]
  8. Christmas: Complete poem from the cited 1864 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-christmas] [de-author-eichendorff]
  9. Advent: Complete poem from the cited 1898 edition; linebreaks retained, typographic spacing normalized. English translation by Inklingo. [de-poem-advent] [de-author-rilke]