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Interpretation

The poem “Your hair has songs I love” by Max Herrmann-Neiße comes from the era of expressionism and addresses the unfulfilled love and the resulting inner dissatisfaction of the lyrical ego. The poem contains 3 verses with in each case 4 verses and consists exclusively of cross-dimensions, the same mime from the first stanza being used again in the third stanza. The Metrum is permanently a jambus. Overall, structure, rhyme and metrum are very regular, which is actually unusual for expressionism. I assume that the lyrical I recognize the beauty and the positive qualities of his beloved, but it does not manage to integrate the positive aspects into his own life and look forward to it. This creates a deep sadness and emptiness.

The first stanza begins with the metaphor “Your hair has songs that I love” (v. 1), which describes the beauty of the hair of the beloved from the point of view of the lyrical me, and compares with other beloved things (in the case of songs). The “soft evenings by the sea” (v. 2) produce images of calm and peace. The verse could also be understood as a wish of the lyrical ego to spend more often beautiful time with the beloved person (for example “soft evenings by the sea”). In verses 3 and 4, one learns the suffering of the lyrical ego for the first time.

It expresses two hopeless wishes, which suggest self-satisfaction. Both are initiated with an interjection (V. 3, 4: “O…”) and completed with an exclamation. The two stylistic means show that a person’s feeling or attitude of will is expressed. The metaphor “unsatisfied blank” (cf. V. 4) reinforces hopelessness and the sense of meaninglessness that shape the life of the lyrical ego. Overall, it looks like it has no fun living without the loved one.

In the second stanza, the lyrical me shows that it is not able to act positively: “So I can do nothing but to lay down / comfort or hurt” (v. 5-6). Here the lyrical I explained his helplessness in the situation. It remains only the choice between two negative ways to react: comfort and pain. The metaphor “of the most miraculous ways / the dust remains on my shoes” (v. 7-8) symbolizes the missed opportunities and the resulting disappointment. Here the “dust on the shoes” is used as a symbol of transience and meaninglessness, which underlines the frustrating experience of the lyric ego. The “most miraculous paths” stand for the numerous possibilities and opportunities in life, but in the end only the dust remains on the shoes, which indicates all the missed opportunities and the unfulfilled dreams.

The last verse uses very visual language to clearly depict the inner conflicts and unfulfilled dreams of the lyrical ego (cf. V. 9 et seq.). In the first verse of the verse, Herrmann-Neiße compares the dreams of the lyrical ego with thieves (cf. V. 9). With this comparison, he could point out that through negative dreams it only loses more hope, and that the positive thoughts will be “scarred” because these bad dreams take their thoughts completely. This is followed in 10. For the metaphor “my joys freezing very” (v. 10). The “peace of joys” is in the context of loneliness, lifelessness and dissatisfaction. The joys are weakened and hardly affect the lyrical me. This will make the reader understandable. The “peace” is also intended to convey a “unhappy” feeling. The repetition of the original “dein hair has songs I love, and gentle evenings by the sea” (v. 11-12) reinforces the longing of the lyrical ego and underlines the impossibility to integrate this beauty and harmony into one’s own life. This repetition again shows the central message and strengthens the feeling of the poem.

The poem “Your hair has songs I love” belongs to the literary epoch of expressionism, which is characterized by intense representation of feelings and inner conflicts. Herrmann-Neiße manages to impressively present the inner struggles of the lyrical ego through visual language and emotional depth.

I wrote that as an interpretation. Give me tips if you’d change something.