rich quatrone | the sorrows of young werther

Klaus Hoffmann in “Die neuen Leiden des jungen W.”, a play by Ulrich Plenzdorf and filmed by Eberhardt Itzenplitz in 1976, Germany.

THE SORROWS OF YOUNG WERTHER

Cry, Werther, cry your eyes out
for the lost lovers, the lost dreams,
the lost minds and souls and spirits.


Cry for America, today, now, this
evening of lost children.


Cry for what you wanted and thought
you would become.


Cry for the betrayals of what was best
in your spirit.


Cry, Werther, for friends who have
gone mad.


Cry for brothers lost in the storm.


Cry for wives you left behind.


Cry for the corruption of your soul,
Werther.


Cry for what your homeland has become
and always was.


Cry for the lifting of the veil.


For the endless lonely nights.


For the empty bed.


For the weight that will never feed you.


For the wrong turns you took.


Cry, young Werther, for your romantic
spirit that led you to this moment
of sorrow.

0 Replies to “rich quatrone | the sorrows of young werther”

  1. “The Sorrows of Young Mike” recently published as a parody of “The Sorrows of Young Werther” by Goethe. I loved the aspects that were touched on in the updated version. John Zelazny, the writer of the parody, is in no way hiding from the original and makes this very clear. Zelazny’s protagonist is infatuated with Werther but lost and in love while he travels around the world with a copy of his favorite book. Everyone interested in Werther should check out “The Sorrows of Young Mike.”

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