Die Unbekannte Poem by Heinrich Heine

Die Unbekannte

Rating: 2.7


My golden-haired beauty,
I’m always sure of seeing,
In the Tuileries Gardens,
Under the chestnut trees.
Every day she’s out walking
With two ugly old ladies –
Are they aunts? Or dragons,
Disguised in women’s clothing?
Could no one give me a clue then,
Of who she was? I asked my friends,
All of them, but all in vain,
I was nearly ill with passion.
Daunted by the moustaches
Of her elderly companions,
And daunted by my own heart
Even more completely,
I never dared to whisper
A single sighed word in passing,
Scarce dared to show my ardour,
By the passion in my glances.
Only today I’ve learnt at last
Her name. She’s called Laura,
Like the beautiful Provençale
A great poet fell in love with.
She’s called Laura! Now I’ve got as
Far as, long ago, Petrarch did,
Who praised the lovely woman
In canzones and sonettos.
She’s called Laura! Just like Petrarch,
I can try platonic toying
With her name’s melodic music –
He himself achieved no more.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Terry Craddock 14 January 2017

A Golden-Haired Lady Walked Under Chestnut Trees sadly time etches in comparisions aged unfair a golden-haired beauty will become time ugly if she lives to be wrinkled withered ninety-three walks beside a new bloom beauty twenty-three; there was a time when single young ladies took the air by walking in enchanted gardens available for all to see admired every day daily in the Tuileries Gardens in love romantic Paris; the place Parisians celebrated met, promenaded is a public garden located between the Louvre Museum and moat skirted Place de la Concorde; a golden-haired beauty walked under chestnut trees acompanied by chaperones two aged ugly old ladies were they aunts or dragons disguised in women’s; clothing early drag imagery suitors could not bare? she walks in a golden-haired beauty without a care with not a clue to her name or how she daily got there thus one love smitten young man asked every friend; all every friend he knew for her name but all in vain the dragon aunts daunted with their dark moustaches the aunts make her beauty more fair beyond compare with early drag imagery penned long before the fashion; daunted from bold to cold by her elderly companions an ill with passion potential suitor dared not whisper with heart aquiver afraid love struck failing no words; signed soft spoken in passing ardour love lost glances but no love will burn be stoked to furnace heat if a lover silent ever keeps ask her out expend energy in the chase; Copyright © Terence George Craddock Inspired by the poem 'Die Unbekannte' by the poet Heinrich Heine. Dedicated to the poet Henrich Heine.

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Terry Craddock 14 December 2016

'Every day she’s out walking With two ugly old ladies – Are they aunts? Or dragons, Disguised in women’s clothing? ' the aunts make her beauty more fair, with an early drag imagery, penned long before the fashion; both these guys should have done less writing; more asking her out expending energy in the chase

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