Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) was a German poet and essayist. He is best known as the author of witty and subversive prose works, travel books, politics, and journalism. His liberal views and his attacks on orthodoxy made him a lightning rod among his contemporaries and successive generations.
Heine was born in Dusseldorf, which was then occupied by France and later became part of Prussia after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815. He received a doctorate of law from Gottingen and converted from Judaism to Lutheranism to improve his prospects for a post in government or at a university. He was, however, unsuccessful and took up writing. He achieved early literary with the publication of his first volume of Reisebilder (Travel Sketches; 1824) Die Harzeise (Journey through the Harz Mountains; 1826,) and with the volume of collected poems Buch der Lieder (Book of Songs; 1827.) The latter sold progressively well and was printed 13 times during Heine’s lifespan.
In 1831, Heine moved to Paris to report on the French Revolution and settled there permanently. After that, his works became more political and acerbic. By 1835, the German government had banned his works. Heine uncle and patron died in 1844, leaving Heine poor. Yet, he produced A Winter’s Tale (1844,) a fictionalized account of his 1843 visit to Germany, and a collection of poetry New Poems (1844.)
Heine’s later lyric poetry, collected in Romanzero (1851) and Gedichte 1853 und 1854 (Poems: 1853 and 1854,) are considered to be the best poems he ever wrote.
Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and other composers set many of Heine’s early lyric poetry to music.
One of Heine’s most famous poems, “Die Lorelei,” based on a German fairytale of an enthralling, seducing mermaid who lures seamen to their death, was set to music by numerous composers, including Friedrich Silcher and Franz Liszt.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Heinrich Heine
Nothing is sillier than this charge of plagiarism. There is no sixth commandment in art. The poet dare help himself wherever he lists—wherever he finds material suited to his work. He may even appropriate entire columns with their carved capitals, if the temple he thus supports be a beautiful one. Goethe understood this very well, and so did Shakespeare before him.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Plagiarism
God will forgive me, that’s his business.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Forgiveness
God will forgive me; that’s his business
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Jobs, Forgiveness
I fell asleep reading a dull book and dreamed I kept on reading, so I awoke from sheer boredom.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Boredom
God will forgive me. It’s his job.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Sin
God will forgive me; that is His business.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Forgiveness
Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Censorship, Book
The fundamental evil of the world arose from the fact that the good Lord has not created money enough.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Evil
A blaspheming Frenchman is a spectacle more pleasing to the Lord than a praying Englishman.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Britain
In politics, as in life, we must above all things wish only for the attainable.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Politicians, Politics
It must require an inordinate share of vanity and presumption, too, after enjoying so much that is good and beautiful on earth, to ask the Lord for immortality in addition to it all.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Vanity
The artist is the child in the popular fable, every one of whose tears was a pearl. Ah! the world, that cruel step mother, beats the poor child the harder to make him shed more pearls.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Art
The men of the past had convictions, while we moderns have only opinions.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Opinion, Opinions
Experience is a good school, but the fees are high.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Experience
What lies lurk in kisses.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Kiss
Whether a revolutions succeeds or fails people of great hearts will always be sacrificed to it.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Revolutions, Revolution, Revolutionaries
If all Europe were to become a prison, Ameriea would still present a loop-hole of escape; and, God be praised! that loop-hole is larger than the dungeon itself.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: America
In these days we fight for ideas, and newspapers are our fortresses.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: News, Ideas
Literary history is the great morgue where all seek the dead ones whom they love, or to whom they are related.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Literature
Sleep is lovely, death is better still, not to have been born is of course the miracle.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Sleep
Whenever books are burned men also in the end are burned.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Censorship
Whatever tears one may shed, in the end one always blows one’s nose.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Cries, Crying
Poverty sits by the cradle of all our great men, and rocks them up to manhood; and this meager foster-mother remains their faithful companion throughout life.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Poverty
Believe me, the much-praised lambs of humility would not bear themselves so meekly if they but possessed tiger’s claws.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Humility
Mine is a most peaceable disposition. My wishes are: a humble cottage with a thatched roof, but a good bed, good food, the freshest milk and butter, flowers before my window, and a few fine trees before my door; and if God wants to make my happiness complete, He will grant me the joy of seeing some six or seven of my enemies hanging from those trees.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Simplicity
The Wedding March always reminds me of the music played when soldiers go into battle.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Soldiers
Great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but, less by assimilation than by fiction.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Genius
The foolish race of mankind are swarming below in the night; they shriek and rage and quarrel—and all of them are right.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Fight, Quarrels, Fighting
Matrimony is the high sea for which no compass has yet to be invented.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Marriage
I have smelt all the aromas there are in the fragrant kitchen they call Earth; and what we can enjoy in this life, I surely have enjoyed just like a lord.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Happiness
Oh what lies lurk in kisses!
—Heinrich Heine
The spring’s already at the gate With looks my care beguiling; The country round appeareth straight A flower-garden smiling.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Spring
Perfumes are the feelings of flowers.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Flowers
Communism possesses a language which every people can understand.—Its elements are hunger, envy, and death.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Communism
While we are indifferent to our good qualities, we keep on deceiving ourselves in regard to our faults, until we come to look on them as virtues.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Self-Esteem, Self Respect
He only profits from praise who values criticism.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Criticism
Every age has its problem, by solving which, humanity is helped forward.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Problems, Progress
Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Rich
The Bible is the great family chronicle of the Jews.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Bible
It is a common phenomenon that just the prettiest girls find it so difficult to get a man.
—Heinrich Heine
Topics: Girls
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