ABSTRACT
On his return from Strasbourg, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was in better health than he had been at the end of his studies in Leipzig. Supported by the constant urging of his sister, Goethe completed the historical drama Goetz von Berlichingen in only six weeks, although it did not appear in public until 1773, after extensive revisions. The play was enthusiastically received and it was a literary breakthrough for Goethe. The play contains a wealth of historical, political, social, and legal subjects, but it is also interesting from a psychological point of view. Goethe frequently travelled to Darmstadt to visit Merck; there, a circle of "Sentimentalists" had formed. They took walks in the woods together and circulated sentimental letters, and Goethe composed poems for the ladies. The "Pilgrim's Morning Song" is a poem of leave-taking. It was composed on the way from Frankfurt to Wetzlar, passing through Bad Homburg.
