'Auf dem See'

‘Auf dem See’, a poem written by Goethe during his Swiss journey in the early summer of 1775. The occasion was a trip by boat on the Lake of Zurich on 15 June, and the poem refers to Goethe's love for Lili Schönemann and his attempt to escape from it. It was published in 1789 in a version slightly different from the original form and opening with the lines ‘Und frische Nahrung, neues Blut/Saug’ ich aus freier Welt'.