THE CHERUBINIC WANDERER - Selections - translated by Willard R. Trask - with an introduction by Curt von Faber du Faur

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by James

Selection of approximately 140 rhymes from Johannes Scheffler’s “The Cherubinic Wanderer,” also known as Angelus Silesius, presented in a translation focused on meaning, metre, and spiritual spirit. An introduction explains Scheffler’s life context, his mystical understanding of the relation between God and humanity, and the work’s distinctive use of the epigram form—brevity that combines delicacy with monumentality. The text highlights paradoxical aphorisms whose enduring truth convinces readers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Johannes Scheffler and mysticism

The epigram form and its poetic effect

Paradoxical aphorisms and enduring truth

++千也++士十十望++士tt十世十++士++七++++十++++十十十+置+++831.55ch2%十 # THECHERUBINIC WANDERER TRANSLATED BY WILLARD R.TRASK # With an introduction byCurt von Faber du Faur Johannes Scheffler,a Silesian born in1624,has completely disappeared be-hind the literary figure he created—“The Cherubinic Wanderer.”Of hislife little is known beyond the factsthat he was born a Lutheran,becamea doctor of medicine,was convertedto Catholicism in 1653,and was or-dained a priest eight years later.Outof his work grew the“Angelus Si-lesius,"the Silesian Angel,loved andadmired and claimed by Protestantsand Catholics alike.His spiritual versehas given stimulation and solace togeneration after generation,and eventhe unbelieving have succumbed tothe terse beauty of his language. The hundreds of rhymes whichform the Geistliche Sinn-und Schluss-reime des Cherubinischen Wanders-manns probe deeply into the relationof God and man.That the poet him-self experienced this mystic relationthere can be no doubt.He was anardent believer in God,whom heunderstood as the ultimate ground ofbeing. This book contains a selection ofabout 140 rhymes,in a remarkablysuccessful rendering of meaning,metre,and spirit Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2022 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation ef es,sohdnn ANGELUS SILESIU S the chepUBinICWanòeReR ≥K Selections translated by Willard R.Trask Introduction by Curt von Faber du Faur PA NTHEO N Copyright 1953 by Pantheon Books,Inc.,333 Sixth Avenue,New York 14,N.Y. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUE CARD NO.:53-9949 Manufactured in the U.S.A.American Book-Stratford Press,Inc.,New York # 一 INTRODUCTION ANGELUS SILESIUS’Cherubinic Wanderer(Cherubinischer Wandersmann)is a profoundlymoving book.The man who wrote it had stoodin the presence of God.He had received a directenlightenment,in communication with the es-sence of the Supreme Being.And he had gainedit not through an act of will but through agrace bestowed upon him. In this he was not alone.Catholic literatureabounds in mystical experience.Johannes Schef-fler,who wrote as "the Silesian Angel,"hadpredecessors,whom he acknowledges:Ruys-broeck,Tauler,the author of the TheologiaGermanica,and many more.But none of themhad been so fully a master of the word.In Ange-lus Silesius,we have a unique case:a great mysticwho was at the same time a master of the mostpregnant expression;if any mystic could,hecould express what he had beheld. He could,and he did—in such measure that,in his Cherubinischer Wandersmann,he pro-duced the first completely successful Germanbook of his century.For the first time,its readerssavored the pleasure which comes from formmastered to the point of virtuosity.The surprisewas all the greater because the form was the mostdifficult and precise of all forms—the epigram.It incarnates the poetic laconism,the expressivebrevity,which only the most thorough com-mand of a language can produce.An epigram C: thing,and then,through some unexpected turn,exceed the reader’s utmost expectation.It mustcreate an astonishment which is instantly ap-peased.The epigrammatist must find awaitinghim a language with which many generationshave worked,he must be able to avail himself ofmaterial which has become familiar and current,be preceded by a high degree of maturity.Sincethe epigrammatist records his truths gnomically,without flourishes or circumlocutions,he createsgreatness in brevity,combines delicacy withmonumentality,the astonishing with the ac-cepted. But the content of the epigram must be truth.Paradoxical epigrams which contain no truthmay amuse,but they do not endure.Those,onthe other hand,which truth permeates are,pre-cisely by reason of their directness and concision,as indestructible as the aphorisms of the Pre-Socratic philosophers. Angelus Silesius'aphorisms possess this powerof convincing the reader—which is all the moreastonishing because they are built entirely uponcontradiction and paradox: The rose which here and nowthine outer

FAQs

What is the Cherubinic Wanderer, according to the introduction?

It is a profoundly moving mystical work by Johannes Scheffler, published under the figure “Angelus Silesius,” exploring the relation between God and man through rhymes and aphoristic epigrams.

How many selections does this edition include?

The book contains a selection of about 140 rhymes.

Why does the introduction emphasize the epigram form?

Because the epigram’s expressive brevity and precise form help convey truth through paradox and contradiction, producing astonishment that is quickly resolved.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by James