Ginkgo Biloba - Interesting Tree Wisdom and Poem of J.W.von Goethe

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) also known as the maidenhair tree, is aunique species of tree with no living relatives. The ginkgo is a living fossil, recognisably similar to fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated and was introduced early to human history. It has various uses in traditional medicine and as a source of food.

Extreme examples of the ginkgo's tenacity may be seen in Hiroshima, Japan, where six trees growing 
between 1–2 km from the 1945 atom bomb explosion were among the few living things in the area to survive the blast. Although almost all other plants (and animals) in the area were destroyed, the ginkgos, though charred, survived and were soon healthy again. The trees are alive to this day.

Gingo Biloba ~Poem by J.W.v.Goethe

This leaf from a tree in the East,

Has been given to my garden.

It reveals a certain secret,

Which pleases me and thoughtful people.

Is it a living being,

Which has separated in itself?

Or are these two, who chose

To be recognized as one?

Answering this kind of question,

Haven't I found the proper meaning,

Don't you feel in my songs,

That I'm one and double?

(Rough English translation)

Goethe sent Marianne von Willemer (1784–1860), the wife of the Frankfurt banker Johann Jakob von Willemer (1760–1838), a Ginkgo leaf as a symbol of friendship and on September 15, 1815 he read his draft of the poem to her and friends. On September 23, 1815 he saw Marianne for the last time. Then he showed her the Ginkgo tree in the garden of Heidelberg Castle from which he took the two leaves pasted onto the poem. After that he wrote the poem and sent it to Marianne on September 27, 1815.

Directly across from the Ginkgo tree stands the Goethe memorial tablet.

The poem was published later as „Suleika“ in West-östlicher Diwan.

The letter containing this poem with which Goethe included two Ginkgo leaves can be viewed in the Goethe Museum in Düsseldorf. The Ginkgo (planted in 1795) that Goethe led Marianne von Willemer to in September 1815 is no longer standing today. After 1928 the Ginkgo tree in the castle garden was labelled as "the same tree that inspired Goethe to create his fine poem". The tree was probably still standing in 1936

Copyright Photos by Gina Matt / Naturpunkt

Sources: Wikipedia / Ginkgo Biloba

Link to my Website "Naturpunkt"

One of my Photo Diashow Videos on leaves and drops: