The city (poem)
The city is a poem written in 1852 by the German writer Theodor Storm , which is dedicated to his hometown Husum on the North Sea. He wrote it when his lawyer was withdrawn because he had worked against the Danes despite the peace agreement . The poem can be classified in the era of realism .
A number of anaphors can be recognized in the three stanzas of five verses each. At first Storm describes the city as dreary, gray and monotonous, but in the end he points to the beautiful childhood memories he had in this city. In this way, the text becomes a love poem addressed to the city of Husum, which remains true to the truth without departing from love.
On the gray beach, on the gray sea
And to one side lies the city;
The fog weighs heavily on the roofs,
And through the silence the sea
roars monotonously around the city.
There is no rustling forest, in May
no bird beats without ceasing;
The wandering goose with a harsh cry
Nur flies by on autumn
night, The grass blows on the beach.
Yet my whole heart hangs on you,
you gray city by the sea;
The magic of youth for and for
Rests smiling on you, on you,
you gray city by the sea.
Alongside Knecht Ruprecht , Die Stadt is probably Storm's best-known poem.
Web links
- Die Stadt (poem) at Zeno.org ., There also numerous other poems by Storm
- Storm's Collected Seals, The City