Morgenstern, Christian (1871–1914)

German poet. His poetry was deeply influenced by his tubercular condition, which gave him the certainty of an early death. He gained great popularity by his grotesque nonsense poems Galgenlieder/The Gallows Songs 1905 and Palmström 1910, which show his mastery of words and sounds. In his later years he wrote mainly serious poetry; his religious verse Einkehr/Introspection 1910 and Wir fanden einen Pfad/We Found a Path 1914, as well as the love lyrics Ich und Du/Thou and I 1911, are among the most beautiful and most moving poems in German literature.