Mind versus Beauty
by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
translated from German by Eric v.d. Luft
Now Mister Mind, deserving all
Respect, as we his favor prize,
Hears rumors that some bold ones call
Miz Beauty better in their eyes,
Which galls his intellect somewhat.
Then Mister Breath, agelong assigned
To representing Mister Mind,
Begins, not trying to be kind,
To reprimand the little slut.
This bothers not the giddy pup,
To Mister Mind she runs right up:
“You think that you’re so smart and tough,
You think the world’s not big enough!
Despise me and I’ll walk away;
Be wise and love me and I’ll stay.
You can be sure, year after year,
We’ll be a lovely pair, my dear.”
German Original
Geist und Schönheit im Streit
Herr Geist, der allen Respekt verdient,
Und dessen Gunst wir höchlich schätzen,
Vernimmt, man habe sich erkühnt,
Die Schönheit über ihn zu setzen;
Er macht daraus ein grosses Wesen.
Da kommt Herr Hauch, uns längst bekannt
Als würdiger Geistsrepräsentant,
Fängt an, doch leider nicht galant,
Dem Luderchen den Text zu lesen.
Das rührt den Leichtsinn nicht einmal,
Sie läuft gleich zu dem Prinzipal:
Ihr seid ja sonst gewandt und klug,
Ist denn die Welt nicht gross genug!
Ich lass Euch, wenn Ihr trutzt, im Stich;
Doch seid Ihr weise, so liebt Ihr mich.
Seid versichert, im ganzen Jahr
Gibts nicht wieder so ein hübsches Paar.
Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., was Curator of Historical Collections at SUNY Upstate Medical University from 1987 to 2006 and has taught at Villanova University, Syracuse University, Upstate, and the College of Saint Rose. He is the author, editor, or translator of over 700 publications in philosophy, religion, librarianship, history, history of medicine, politics, humor, popular culture, and nineteenth-century studies.
“Mind versus Beauty” is a good translation of “Geist und Schönheit im Streit,” which I translate as “Spirit (or Mind) and Beauty in Conflict.” I rather prefer the first line beginning with “Lord Spirit….” That obviates the need for “Now,” I did not see “jetzt” in the verse which is “now” in English. I know “Herr” can translate as “Mister, Lord, or Sir” and personally would prefer one of the two higher appellations in English. I also do not like adding “Miz” to Beauty. The original German does not lend itself to that and just “Beauty” fits perfectly. Do not mind me. These are just my initial translation thoughts. Believe me, I understand the problems of translating a poem from another language into English. There is a depth to Goethe’s poem with the conflict set up initially between the mind or spirit and beauty, itself. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Eric, please pardon me for having written a poem from Goethe which you translated. Only once or twice have I put one of my poems in a comment in response to a posted poem by someone, but I thought this might be of interest to you:
CONFLICT BETWEEN THE MIND AND BEAUTY
By Roy E. Peterson (October 1, 2026)
Conflict between mind and beauty vexes us so.
Herr Goethe wrote about it two centuries ago.
He indicated beauty was better in some eyes;
That some had dared to make it the highest prize.
Intellect is bothered with such comparisons,
Although the author still may have his own passions.
Gothe solves the problem, for in his own intellect,
Mind and beauty make a lovely pair with respect.
Poet Note
The title of Goethe’s poem in German is “Geist und Schönheit im Streit.”
Goethe lived between 1749 and 1832.
Anyone attempting to translate Goethe into English deserves my praise and respect. This translation gives the basic storyline of the poem, preserves the line structure, and it rhymes, so job well done.
I completely agree with Roy Peterson that Mr. Mind is a less than satisfying translation of Herr Geist. Herr Hauch is said to be his representative, and Hauch, or the archaic Odem in Martin Luther’s Bible translation, is the Spirit, which is the “ruach” in the Hebrew. Also, Schoenheit goes straight to the principal, Prinzipal, in the second line of the third stanza after being talked to by Herr Hauch. She does this because Herr Geist, the Prinzipal, is the substance of which Herr Hauch is merely the emission.
I have no idea how this could be translated better into English, since Geist translates as Spirit, and Hauch also translates as Spirit. Perhaps Mister Mind is really the best possible English rendition of Herr Geist, except that it lacks the spiritual connotations of Geist, which literally translated means ghost.
I’m happy to stick with the original of course, but it’s nice to have a translation for non-German speakers. I enjoyed reading Goethe here today, thank you!
As a huge fan of Goethe’s poetry, it’s always a treat to get a translation that sticks to the original form. Somehow I’ve never seen this one before—thank you for sharing!