Mörike, Eduard, << MUHR ih kuh, AY doo `ahrt` >> (1804-1875), was a German lyric poet. He overcame the vagueness that characterizes much romantic poetry. Some of his work suggests a pleasant, untroubled atmosphere. But Mörike’s most admired poems are about single objects or moments in time, such as an old lamp in a summer house, or two lovers as they disappear around a corner.
Mörike also wrote prose. Mozart on His Journey to Prague (1855) is considered a masterpiece of short German prose. It is a charming story about Mozart, delicately clouded by an awareness of the young composer’s approaching death. Mörike also wrote Painter Nolten (1832), a subtle psychological novel.
Mörike was born in Ludwigsburg. He became a Protestant minister in 1834. But he retired in 1843 to devote himself to writing.
