Adolf Böttger

Adolf Böttger was a German translator and poet. As a translator, he created German versions of works in the English language, a major project being the translation of the complete works of Byron.

Education

He studied at the University of Leipzig, and won high praise as a translator of the English poets, including the complete works of Byron, works of Pope, the poems of Goldsmith and of Milton.

Career

He also made renderings of Ossian ; Shakespeare's As You Like It, Midsummer Night's Dream, and Much Ado about Nothing ; Racine's Phèdre; Ponsard's Odyssée ; and Longfellow's Hiawatha.
His own works, displaying often the influence of English prototypes, include: Gedichte, Die Pilgerfahrt der Blumengeister ; Das Buch der Sachsen ; and Neue Lieder und Dichtungen. One of his most idyllic productions is Goethe's Jugendliebe, a description of some of Goethe's love affairs. The German composer Amalie Scholl used Bottger’s text for her song “Auf der Wartburg.”