Poetisches Tagebuch

In the years 1819-20, especially, Schubert was frequently drawn to the early poetry of Friedrich Schlegel, who by middle age had morphed from Romantic pantheist to conservative (some would say bigoted) éminence grise in Viennese literary circles. Im Walde (which appeared after Schubert’s death under the title Waldes-Nacht) is a darkly ecstatic paean to the numinous powers of the forest. Filled with mysterious rustlings and murmurings (the ‘Forest Murmurs’ of Siegfried are already in view), and picturesque details – say, the lightning flashes and growling thunder in verse two – this torrential outpouring is Schubert at his most exalted and visionary.