Poetics of Departure

This volume examines the question of naming the divine in poetry by drawing on selected poems by Hölderlin and a number of examples from the history of the poet’s reception. To this end, the author begins by interpreting two poems dedicated to Hölderlin: one by Hesse ("Ode an Hölderlin") and one by Rilke ("An Hölderlin"). These prefigure a line of interpretation which, together with Hölderlin, poses the question of whether the present age can still address God, and the consequences associated with this question. Then the work moves on to interpret Hölderlin’s poems "Da ich ein Knabe war …", "Der Abschied", “Heimkunft” and "Ermunterung" as well as their respective revisions. The focus lies on how the question of naming God emerges in the poems. The volume seeks to demonstrate that this theme is not only central to Hölderlin’s poems but also leads to questions which – although rarely posed – are an essential part of modernity.