Analysis of Ode To Joy
Friedrich Schiller 1759 (Marbach am Neckar) – 1805 (Weimar)
Joy, thou beauteous godly lightning,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire drunken we are ent’ring
Heavenly, thy holy home!
Thy enchantments bind together,
What did custom stern divide,
Every man becomes a brother,
Where thy gentle wings abide.
Chorus.
Be embrac’d, ye millions yonder!
Take this kiss throughout the world!
Brothers—o’er the stars unfurl’d
Must reside a loving Father.}
Who the noble prize achieveth,
Good friend of a friend to be;
Who a lovely wife attaineth,
Join us in his jubilee!
Yes—he too who but {one} being
On this earth can call {his} own!
He who ne’er was able, weeping
Stealeth from this league alone!
Chorus.
He who in the great ring dwelleth,
Homage pays to sympathy!
To the stars above leads she,
Where on high the {Unknown} reigneth.}
Joy is drunk by every being
From kind nature’s flowing breasts,
Every evil, every good thing
For her rosy footprint quests.
Gave she {us} both {vines} and kisses,
In the face of death a friend,
To the worm were given blisses
And the Cherubs God attend.
Chorus.
Fall before him, all ye millions?
{Know’st} thou the Creator, world?
Seek above the stars unfurl’d,
Yonder dwells He in the heavens.}
Joy commands the hardy mainspring
Of the universe eterne.
Joy, oh joy the wheel is driving
Which the worlds’ great clock doth turn.
Flowers from the buds she coaxes,
Suns from out the hyaline,
Spheres she rotates through expanses,
Which the seer can’t divine.
Chorus.
As the suns are flying, happy
Through the heaven’s glorious plane,
Travel, brothers, down your lane,
Joyful as in hero’s vict’ry.}
From the truth’s own fiery mirror
On the searcher {doth} she smile.
Up the steep incline of honor
Guideth {she} the suff’rer’s mile.
High upon faith’s sunlit mountains
One can see {her} banner flies,
Through the breach of open’d coffins
{She} in angel’s choir doth rise.
Chorus.
Suffer on courageous millions!
Suffer for a better world!
O’er the tent of stars unfurl’d
God rewards you from the heavens.}
Gods can never be requited,
Beauteous ’tis, their like to be.
Grief and want shall be reported,
So to cheer with gaiety.
Hate and vengeance be forgotten,
Pardon’d be our mortal foe,
Not a teardrop shall him dampen,
No repentance bring him low.
Chorus.
Let our book of debts be cancell’d!
Reconcile the total world!
Brothers—o’er the stars unfurl’d
God doth judge, as we have settl’d.}
Joy doth bubble from this rummer,
From the golden blood of grape
Cannibals imbibe good temper,
Weak of heart their courage take—
Brothers, fly up from thy places,
When the brimming cup doth pass,
Let the foam shoot up in spaces:
To the goodly Soul this glass!
Chorus.
Whom the crown of stars doth honor,
Whom the hymns of Seraphs bless,
{To the goodly Soul this glass}
O’er the tent of stars up yonder!}
Courage firm in grievous trial,
Help, where innocence doth scream,
Oaths which sworn to are eternal,
Truth to friend and foe the same,
Manly pride ’fore kingly power—
Brothers, cost it life and blood,—
Honor to whom merits honor,
Ruin to the lying brood!
Chorus.
Closer draw the holy circle,
Swear it by this golden wine,
Faithful to the vow divine,
Swear it by the Judge celestial!}
Rescue from the tyrant’s fetters,
Mercy to the villain e’en,
Hope within the dying hours,
Pardon at the guillotine!
E’en the dead shall live in heaven!
Brothers, drink and all agree,
Every sin shall be forgiven,
Hell forever cease to be.
Chorus.
A serene departing hour!
Pleasant sleep beneath the pall!
Brothers—gentle words for all
Doth the Judge of mortals utter!}
Scheme | axaxbcbc DbeCb fgfgahah Dffgf aiaijkdk Dlecl ahaxmhmn Dgoob bpbplqxq Dlecl cgrcstst DceCc bxbxjujU DbxUb vxvxbrbx Dvnnv whwxsgsg Dbxxb |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111010 1010100 1010111 1001101 111010 1110101 100101010 1110101 10 1111010 1110101 101011 10101010 101011 1110111 101011 110110 11111110 1111111 11111010 111101 10 1100111 1011100 1010111 1110011 111110010 1110101 1001010011 101011 11111010 0011101 1010101 0010101 10 10111110 1100101 101011 10110010 1010101 10101 11101110 1011111 10101110 11101 1111010 101101 10 10111010 10101001 1010111 1010101 101110010 1010111 10101110 11011 1011110 1110101 1011110 10101011 10 10101010 1010101 101111 10111010 111011 111111 1011110 11111 10101010 1110101 1011110 1010111 10 11011111 100101 101011 1111111 1110111 1010111 10001110 1111101 10111110 1010111 10111010 1010111 10 10111110 101111 1010111 10111110 10101010 1110011 11111010 1110101 10111010 1011101 10111010 1010101 10 10101010 1111101 1010101 11101010 10101010 1010101 10101010 101010 10111010 1010101 100111010 1010111 10 00101010 1010101 1010111 10111010 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 3,463 |
Words | 610 |
Sentences | 51 |
Stanzas | 18 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 5 |
Lines Amount | 117 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 151 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 3:03 min read
- 3,939 Views
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"Ode To Joy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14346/ode-to-joy>.
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