Wanderlust Poem by gershon hepner

Sad cycle of great songs, Die Schöne Müllerin
is always harder to complete than to begin.
The first song tells of wandering, the next “Wohin? ”
asks where the wanderer goes and what he hopes to win.
In the third song we observe the wanderer halt,
and thank the gentle brook that’s cooler than asphalt.
He meets a lovely mill-girl, and he wins her heart,
but thena hunter comes and uses hunting art
while wearing green to take her from him. He declares
green is the color he most hates. As he despairs,
he sings about the flowers he sees freshly sprouting
on his grave. This has been a most dreadful outing
for him! He chooses in the gentle brook to die,
and—final song—the brook sings him a lullaby.

No maiden’s death appears in this song cycle, just
that of lover who is killed by wanderlust.

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