poem
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poem
A literary text written in verse that often has a particular rhythm or rhyme scheme. Poems often express feelings or thoughts in artistic language.
In der Schule haben wir ein Gedicht von Goethe analysiert.
At school, we analyzed a poem by Goethe.
'Gedicht' (poem) belongs to the word family of 'dichten' (to write poetry). A person who writes poems is 'der Dichter' (poet) or 'die Dichterin' (female poet).
Der junge Autor dichtet am liebsten über die Natur.
The young author prefers to write poetry about nature.
In connection with 'Gedicht' (poem), certain verbs are often used: you can 'schreiben' (write), 'lesen' (read), 'vortragen' (recite or present), 'aufsagen' (recite from memory), and 'interpretieren' (interpret) a poem.
Die Schülerin musste vor der ganzen Klasse ein Gedicht aufsagen.
The student had to recite a poem in front of the whole class.
To name the author or topic of a poem, you use the prepositions 'von' (by) and 'über' (about). So you read 'ein Gedicht von' (a poem by) someone 'über' (about) something.
Ich lese gerade ein Gedicht von Rilke.
I'm currently reading a poem by Rilke.
song
'das Lied' and 'das Gedicht' can both have an artistic text, often with rhythm or rhyme. The important difference is: a 'Lied' is meant to be sung and belongs to music. A 'Gedicht' is a literary text that you read or recite. It does not have to be sung. Learners may confuse the words because some song lyrics look like poems. If music and singing are part of it, you say 'Lied'. If it is mainly about the text as literature, you say 'Gedicht'.
Für den Geburtstag ihrer Freundin schreibt Lena ein kurzes Gedicht.
For her friend's birthday, Lena writes a short poem.
Der Text des Liedes ist einfach, aber die Melodie bleibt sofort im Kopf.
The lyrics of the song are simple, but the melody immediately sticks in your head.