
Mutter und Kind - Friedrich Hebbel
Ein Gedicht in sieben Gesängen. - 1859
Erster Gesang.
Zweiter Gesang.
Dritter Gesang.
Vierter Gesang.
Fünfter Gesang.
Sechster Gesang.
Siebenter Gesang.
A bleak winter dawn blankets a quiet town in gray light, where watchmen shuffle home and the clatter of livestock stirs in hidden stalls. The poem opens with vivid, almost cinematic images—frost‑bitten streets, a flickering lantern, and a lone figure lingering on the threshold of a modest house. In this stark setting, a young man named Christian pauses, drawn by a soft glow that hints at warmth and humanity amid the cold.
Inside, he encounters a young woman caring for a modest fire, her presence a gentle contrast to the harshness outside. Their tentative exchange, laced with quiet concern and a shared need for shelter, captures a moment of fragile connection that hints at deeper social strains of the era. The verses weave together melancholy, compassion, and the subtle power of simple kindness, inviting listeners to linger on the delicate balance between survival and tenderness.
Language
de
Duration
~2 hours (123K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Michael Pullen. HTML version by Al Haines.
Release date
2003-05-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1813–1863
Known for bringing psychological depth to German drama, his plays often turn private conflicts into larger questions about society, fate, and history. His tragedies helped shape 19th-century theater and still stand out for their intensity and moral complexity.
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