Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Germany: Vols. XVII–XVIII. 1876–79.
The German Muse
By Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1805)Translated by J. S. Dwight
N
Or Medicean bounty flowed
O’er the soil of German art;
It was not in glory nourished,
But it blossomed full and flourished
With no care on princes’ part.
By the mighty Frederick’s throne,
Unprotected, it went forth.
Well the German’s heart may beat,
Well he may with pride repeat,
He created his own worth.
And in fuller torrent flows
The high hymn of German bards,
And, in its own fulness swelling,
From the heart’s own depths outwelling,
Spurns restraint, nor rule regards.