Novelist, scientist, courtier, poet - Goethe's genius spanned disciplines in his lifetime, and has spanned the centuries since his death. Bringing together the stunning lyric poetry of the author of Faust, this fresh translation also gives us Goethe's life from childhood to old age, captured in his verse. With a gaze that embraces mountaintops and wayside flowers, warring gods and gingko leaves, this epoch-making poet unites us with life's humble beauties, sublime sorrows, and deepest meanings.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), now chiefly remembered for his poetry, above all the long work Faust, was a German polymath who published fiction, drama, philosophy, travel essays, and scientific works in his lifetime, as well as verse. One of the principal figures of the Romantic movement, he is one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era.John Kent (b. 1936) worked for decades as a teacher of modern languages, and for some years in retirement supported disabled students in their university studies. He has been translating poems by Goethe for sixty years, but his translations have never before been published.