From the Life of a Good for Nothing (1826) (Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts)
by Joseph von Eichendorff
When one thinks of German Romanticism poet and novelist Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff comes immediately to mind. Many of his poems have been set to music by composers such as Hugo Wolf, Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. But one of Eichendorff’s most loved work is “From the Life of a Good for Nothing”, published in 1826. This novella concerns a miller’s son who leaves his father’s house in order to find happiness. Defying social conventions, the young man journeys aimlessly, guided only by chance encounters and his yearning for adventures. After travelling up to Rome and Prague, he finally finds true love in his homeland. This literary “Good for Nothing” could well serve as a blueprint for the ideal “Romantic man”.
Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts
From the Life of a Good for Nothing
Now the wheel of my father’s mill was roaring and booming right merrily; snow dripped busily from the roof, and sparrows twittered and darted around. I sat on the doorstep and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
