Goethe viewed the writing of poetry as essentially autobiographical, and the works selected in this volume represent more than sixty years in the life of the poet. In early poems such as Prometheus, he rails against religion in an almost ecstatic fervor, while To the Moon is an enigmatic meditation on the end of a love affair. The "Roman Elegies" show Goethes use of Classical meters in an homage to ancient Rome and its poets, and The Diary, suppressed for more than a century, is a narrative poem whose eroticism is combined with its morality. In selections from "Faust," arguably his greatest and most personal work, Goethe creates an exhilarating depiction of humankinds eternal search for truth. Faithful and felicitous, these verse translations . . . are an excellent introduction to [Goethes] genius. "The Daily Telegraph" (London)