The two most popular of George's poetry cycles appear near the midpoint of his life. Das Jahr der Seele appeared in 1897, and Der Teppich des Lebens in 1899, both in Berlin. Marking a decisive turn, they represent the two halves of George's artistry: his lyrical notations of the soul and his mythopoetic vision of a new culture. The melancholic, retrospective Das Jahr der Seele is followed by the programmatic, life-affirming Der Teppich des Lebens. It is as if two personae were changing guard: the mournful one retreats, the confident one steps forth; nature is laid to rest, art put on the banner. Even the titles, vivid in their symbolism, demonstrate the shift from introspective, seasonal mood to richly patterned, deliberate design: “der Titel ‘Teppich’ meint nicht den Zweck, sondern die Art des Zusammenhangs” (Gundolf 182).

The Seasons

The title of the 1897 volume, Das Jahr der Seele, alludes to Hölderlin's Menons Klagen um Diotima (Menon's Mourning of Diotima, 1800/ 1801), in which the death of the beloved inspires the utopian vision of poet and beloved some day being reunited in a place where songs are true and the beauty of spring lasts longer:

In light of this allusion, spring is conspicuously absent from George's presentation. His cycle begins in the fall and opens with an invitation to come see the park, a landscape considered dead at this time of year if one does not know how to see. “Look,” the lyrical “I” commands, and clear vistas and colors unfold:

As in the paintings of the impressionists, colors predominate over shapes. The unnamed companion is directed to pick and choose, to compose a wreath from beautiful, decaying remnants: