Menons Klagen um Diotima

poem by Hölderlin

Also known as: “Menon’s Lament for Diotima”

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June 30, 2026

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"Menons Klagen um Diotima" (Menon's Lament for Diotima) is a significant elegiac poem by the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin. Written between 1798 and 1801, it is part of his intensely creative period, despite his deteriorating mental health.

The poem is deeply personal, reflecting Hölderlin's profound grief over the death of Susette Gontard, whom he loved and who is represented in his work by the name Diotima. The lament, narrated by a character named Menon, expresses the sorrow and despair of loss, intertwining personal tragedy with Hölderlin's broader themes of classical ideals and spiritual yearning. This work, along with others from the same period, showcases his unique ability to adapt classical Greek verse forms to the German language, blending classical and Christian influences.12

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Friedrich Hölderlin
…produced the great elegies “Menons Klagen um Diotima” (“Menon’s Lament for Diotima”) and “Brod und Wein” (“Bread and Wine”). In January 1801 he went to Switzerland as tutor to a family in Hauptwyl, but in April of the same year Hölderlin returned to Nürtingen.
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…produced the great elegies “Menons Klagen um Diotima” (“Menon’s Lament for Diotima”) and “Brod und Wein” (“Bread and Wine”). In January 1801 he went to Switzerland as tutor to a family in Hauptwyl, but in April of the same year Hölderlin returned to Nürtingen.
Read More