Classic Poem

An dem stillen Meeresstrande

Night has come with silent footsteps,
On the beaches by the ocean;
And the waves, with curious whispers,
Ask the moon, " Have you a notion

" Who that man is? Is he foolish,
Or with love is he demented?
For he seems so sad and cheerful,
So cast down yet so contented. "

And the moon, with shining laughter,
Answers them, " If you must know it,
He is both in love and foolish;
And, besides that, he's a poet! "