Analysis of The God And The Bayadere - An Indian Legend
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)
MAHADEVA, Lord of earth
For the sixth time comes below,
As a man of mortal birth,--
Like him, feeling joy and woe.
Hither loves he to repair,
And his power behind to leave;
If to punish or to spare,
Men as man he'd fain perceive.
And when he the town as a trav'ller hath seen,
Observing the mighty, regarding the mean,
He quits it, to go on his journey, at eve.
He was leaving now the place,
When an outcast met his eyes,--
Fair in form, with painted face,--
Where some straggling dwellings rise.
"Maiden, hail!"--"Thanks! welcome here!
Stay!--I'll join thee in the road.'
"Who art thou?"--"A Bayadere,
And this house is love's abode."
The cymbal she hastens to play for the dance,
Well skill'd in its mazes the sight to entrance,
Then by her with grace is the nosegay bestow'd.
Then she draws him, as in play,
O'er the threshold eagerly:
"Beauteous stranger, light as day
Thou shalt soon this cottage see.
I'll refresh thee, if thou'rt tired,
And will bathe thy weary feet;
Take whate'er by thee's desired,
Toying, rest, or rapture sweet."--
She busily seeks his feign'd suff'rings to ease;
Then smiles the Immortal; with pleasure he sees
That with kindness a heart so corrupted can beat.
And he makes her act the part
Of a slave; he's straight obey'd.
What at first had been but art,
Soon is nature in the maid.
By degrees the fruit we find,
Where the buds at first obtain;
When obedience fills the mind,
Love will never far remain.
But sharper and sharper the maiden to prove,
The Discerner of all things below and above,
Feigns pleasure, and horror, and maddening pain.
And her painted cheeks he kisses,
And his vows her heart enthrall;
Feeling love's sharp pangs and blisses,
Soon her tears begin to fall.
At his feet she now must sink,
Not with thoughts of lust or gain,--
And her slender members shrink,
And devoid of power remain.
And so the bright hours with gladness prepare
Their dark, pleasing veil of a texture so fair,
And over the couch softly, tranquilly reign.
Late she falls asleep, thus bless'd,--
Early wakes, her slumbers fled,
And she finds the much-loved guest
On her bosom lying dead.
Screaming falls she on him there,
But, alas, too late to save!
And his rigid limbs they bear
Straightway to their fiery grave.
Then hears she the priests and the funeral song,
Then madly she runs, and she severs the throng:
"Why press tow'rd the pile thus? Why scream thus, and rave?"
Then she sinks beside his bier,
And her screams through air resound:
"I must seek my spouse so dear,
E'en if in the grave he's bound.
Shall those limbs of grace divine
Fall to ashes in my sight?
Mine he was! Yes, only mine!
Ah, one single blissful night!"
The priests chaunt in chorus: "We bear out the old,
When long they've been weary, and late they've grown cold:
We bear out the young, too, so thoughtless and light.
"To thy priests' commands give ear!
This one was thy husband ne'er;
Live still as a Bayadere,
And no duty thou need'st share.
To deaths silent realms from life,
None but shades attend man's frame,
With the husband, none but wife,--
That is duty, that is fame.
Ye trumpets, your sacred lament haste to raise
Oh, welcome, ye gods, the bright lustre of days!
Oh, welcome to heaven the youth from the flame!"
Thus increased her torments are
By the cruel, heartless quire;
And with arms outstretching far
Leaps she on the glowing pyre.
But the youth divine outsprings
From the flame with heav'nly grace,
And on high his flight he wings,
While his arms his love embrace.
In the sinner repentant the Godhead feels joy;
Immortals delight thus their might to employ.
Lost children to raise to a heavenly place.
Scheme | A B A B C D C DEED F G F G H I C IXXI J K J K L M L MNNM O P O P Q R Q RXXR X B F X S R S RCCR T U T U C V C VWWV H X X X Y Z Y Z1 1 Z H C C C 2 3 2 3 4 4 3 5 X 5 X F F X F6 6 F |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111 1011101 1011101 1110101 1011101 01100111 1110111 1111101 0110110111 01001001001 11111111011 1110101 111111 1011101 111101 1011101 1111001 11101 0111101 01011011101 11011001110 1101110101 1111101 1001100 110111 1111101 10111110 0111101 11011010 1011101 1100111111 11001011011 111001101011 0110101 1011101 1111111 1110001 1010111 1011101 10100101 1110101 11001001011 0111101001 11001001001 00101110 011011 1011101 1010111 1111111 1111111 0010101 00111001 0101101101 11101101011 010011011 1110111 101011 0110111 1010101 1011111 1011111 0110111 1111001 11101001001 11011011001 11101111101 1110111 001111 1111111 11100111 1111101 1110011 1111101 1110101 01101011101 11111001111 11101111001 1110111 1111101 11101 01101111 1110111 1110111 1010111 1110111 11011001111 11011011011 11011001101 101011 1010101 01111 11101010 101011 101111 0111111 1111101 00100100111 01001111101 11011101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 3,562 |
Words | 664 |
Sentences | 43 |
Stanzas | 72 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4 |
Lines Amount | 99 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 39 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 9 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 3:26 min read
- 95 Views
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"The God And The Bayadere - An Indian Legend" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21830/the-god-and-the-bayadere---an-indian-legend>.
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