written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Gingko
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.

Does it represent One living creature
Which has divided itself ?
Or are these Two, which have decided,
That they should be as One ?

To reply to such a Question,
I found the right answer :
Do you notice in my songs and verses
That I am One and Two ?

And a different version:

GINKGO BILOBA

The leaf of this Eastern tree
Which has been entrusted to my garden
Offers a feast of secret significance,
For the edification of the initiate.

Is it one living thing
That has become divided within itself?
Are these two who have chosen each other,
So that we know them as one?

I think I have found the right answer
To these questions;
Do my songs not make you feel
That I am both one and twain?

in the original German:

Dieses Baums Blatt, der von Osten
Meinem Garten anvertraut,
Gibt geheimen Sinn zu kosten,
Wie’s den Wissenden erbaut.
Ist es ein lebendig Wesen,
Das sich in sich selbst getrennt?
Sind es zwei, die sich erlesen,
Dasz man sie als Eines kennt?

Solche Frage zu erwidern,
Fand ich wohl den rechten Sinn:
Fühlst du nicht an meinen Liedern,
Dasz ich Eins und doppelt bin?

and in French:

GINKGO BILOBA

La feuille de cet arbre, qui, de l’orient,
Est confié à mon jardin.
Offre un sens caché
Qui charme l’initié.

Est-ce un être vivant
Qui s’est scindé en lui-même ?
Sont-ils deux qui se choisissent
Si bien qu’on les prend pour un seul ?

Pour répondre à ces questions,
Je crois avoir la vraie manière :
Ne sens-tu pas, à mes chants
Que je suis à la fois un et double ?

For further reading about the ginkgo