11 Must-Read Hermann Hesse Poems

Hermann Hesse is the famed author of Siddartha. He also wrote Demian and The Glass Bead Game. His work often explored the search for knowledge and truth. He was an influential and popular author during his lifetime. Hesse won the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature.

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Lament

‘Lament’ by Hermann Hesse describes the mental and emotional state of a speaker who is unable to settle on one way of being.

This is a fairly well-known Herman Hesse poem that is a great example of the writer's verse. Hesse's German poem 'Lament' shares incredibly powerful emotions in a way that many readers are likely able to relate to. He discusses life, death, and most importantly, the ever-present nature of fear. It is something that he has been able to depend on throughout his life. Everything else changes but fear is always there.

We have not been granted a being. We are only a current, We flow willingly into all forms: Into day, into night, into the cave and into the cathedral, We pass through, we are driven by the thirst for being.

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The Poet

‘The Poet’ by Hermann Hesse uncovers the bittersweet realities of the poet’s purpose and destiny as a visionary for the world and all those in it.

The goal of this Hesse poem is as lofty as its subject matter: attempting to encapsulate and articulate the idealistic identity of the poet. Ultimately, the speaker hones in on the lonely existence of the poet, as well as their earnest desire to give humanity a glimpse of its possible radiant future.

Only on me, the lonely one,

The unending stars of the night shine,

The stone fountain whispers its magic song,

To me alone, to me the lonely one

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A Swarm Of Gnats

‘A Swarm Of Gnats’ by Hermann Hesse is a devastating poem that presents a group of insects as a compelling foil for humanity.

This poem by Hermann Hesse perceives a bleak observation of humanity within an unlikely source. One that's made all the more viscerally unnerving and depressing thanks to the poet's highly descriptive imagery. Ultimately, the poem questions the value and vitality of mankind's shared history, especially in light of its tendency toward violent ruin.

Many thousand glittering motes

Crowd forward greedily together

In trembling circles.

Extravagantly carousing away

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Lying in Grass

‘Lying in Grass’ by Hermann Hesse rallies in opposition to life’s dogged sorrows in favor of relishing its elusive moments of joy.

Hesse's poem alternates between two distinctly contradictory emotions: lament and pleasure. As the speaker attempts to enjoy a moment of tranquility in a picturesque field of grass, they find themselves reminded of all of life's woes. The result is a poem that valiantly rebukes humanity's incessant sorrow in favor of savoring those rare moments of immaculate happiness.

Is this everything now, the quick delusions of flowers,

And the down colors of the bright summer meadow,

The soft blue spread of heaven, the bees' song,

Is this everything only a god's

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At Night On The High Seas

‘At Night On The High Sea’ by Hermann Hesse is a bleak but beautiful poem about finding yourself separated from the ones you love, grappling with its strange harmony amidst fears of being forsaken.

Quite a few of Hesse's poems feature a speaker ensconced within a lonely and depressing solitude. What sets this one apart is its setting: here, the speaker is hopelessly surrounded by an insurmountably vast sea. Their isolation drives their anxious mind toward thoughts of home and friends left behind. Yet its most captivating quality is the unexpected — and somewhat frightening — tranquility discovered therein.

At night, when the sea cradles me

And the pale star gleam

Lies down on its broad waves,

Then I free myself wholly

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How Heavy The Days

‘How Heavy The Days’ by Hermann Hesse is a gloomy poem that illustrates the overbearing disillusionment shouldered by a heartbroken speaker.

This poem by Hermann Hesse is a contender for not only the saddest poem ever written by the poet but also by anyone ever. Its brevity is matched only by the heart-wrenching clarity with which its speaker articulates both the severity and source of their anguish. The result is a poem that illustrates the devastating effects of one's first heartbreak.

How heavy the days are.

There's not a fire that can warm me,

Not a sun to laugh with me,

Everything bare,

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Lonesome Night

‘Lonesome Night’ by Hermann Hesse is a deeply melancholic poem that paints a portrait of overwhelming loneliness and despair.

As the title suggests, this poem by Hermann Hesse offers a poignant and powerful illustration of loneliness—one created by the poet's anguished diction and morose imagery. Yet despite the overbearing depression that hangs over the speaker, the poem also instills an appreciation for the camaraderie that's shared amongst the hopeless.

You brothers, who are mine,

Poor people, near and far,

Longing for every star,

Dream of relief from pain,

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I Know, You Walk—

‘I Know, You Walk—’ by Hermann Hesse is a foreboding poem that depicts a nightly encounter between a troubled speaker and the visage of a person they dread running into you.

In its depiction of the lovelorn distance between two people, this poem by Hermann Hesse highlights a common motif found within many of his works. Both his use of imagery and figurative language are geared toward painting a complete portrait of one person's grief and another's dreadful guilt. For all its revelatory intimacy, the poem is also characteristically ambiguous, allowing the reader to fill the gaps in the text with their own inferences.

I walk so often, late, along the streets,

Lower my gaze, and hurry, full of dread,

Suddenly, silently, you still might rise

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On A Journey

‘On A Journey’ by Hermann Hesse is a poem that seeks to provide both comfort and solace to those who find themselves demoralized by life’s journeys.

This short poem by Hermann Hesse is one of his more optimistic. Exploring themes of perseverance in the face of life's withering effect on the spirit, as well as the necessity of confronting them with the help of a friend. As with so many of his poems, this one offers a lucid and poignant depiction of life's capacity for sorrow and hope.

Don't be downcast, soon the night will come,

When we can see the cool moon laughing in secret

Over the faint countryside,

And we rest, hand in hand.

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Thinking Of A Friend At Night

‘Thinking Of A Friend At Night’ imagines, with a mixture of anxiety and hope, the current whereabouts of a friend fighting in World War One.

From the romantic and platonic to the existential and spiritual, the reasons behind the depressive longing that fills the various speakers of Hermann Hesse's poems are as diverse as they are overwhelming. In this poem, you're guided through the nervous possibilities imagined by a speaker wracked by worry, regret, and compassionate yearning. It also features several motifs that appear in his other works: a lonely speaker, the ubiquity of darkness, and introspections that take the form of nighttime excursions.

In this evil year, autumn comes early… I walk by night in the field, alone, the rain clatters, The wind on my hat…And you? And you, my friend?

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Stages

‘Stages’ by Hermann Hesse describes how death is only a stage through which one progresses during life. The speaker wants death to be embraced.

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