Poetry
The Cherubinic Wanderer
Cherubinischer Wandersmann
Angelus Silesius · 1657
Opening lines
Rein wie das feinste Gold, steif wie ein Felsenstein,
Ganz lauter wie Kristall soll dein Gemüte sein.
Pure as the finest gold, as steadfast as a rock,
As clear as crystal must your spirit be.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from zeno.org
Synopsis
Very short poems, mostly in couplets, which express through antitheses and paradoxes the greatness of God, the mystery of the Trinity and the union of the soul with Christ. Several approach God through nothingness and silence, in the manner of negative theology, and the most famous has the rose bloom without why, because it blooms.
Context
The collection appeared in Vienna in 1657 under the title Geistreiche Sinn- und Schlussreime. A second, expanded edition, published in 1675 (1674 according to one source), gave it the title under which it is known. It contains one thousand six hundred and seventy-six pieces, most often two rhyming alexandrines built on an antithesis. Its material comes from the medieval mystics and from Böhme. In his preface, the author defends the orthodoxy of his paradoxes; Leibniz nevertheless found these verses beautiful, but of a boldness that almost bordered on impiety.
Who it is for
Two-line epigrams, which are read one by one rather than in sequence; several French translations exist.
Prizes and reception
Ranked among the major lyrical works of the German Baroque; Leibniz discussed it, and Heidegger commented on one of its couplets.