  matthias claudius (august 15, 1740 â january 21, 1815) was a german poet, otherwise known by the penname of âasmusâ. ==life== claudius was born at reinfeld, near lÃ¼beck, and studied at jena. he spent the greater part of his life in the town of wandsbeck, where he earned his first literary reputation by editing from 1771 to 1775, a newspaper called der wandsbecker bothe (the wandsbeck messenger) (wandsbeck until the year 1879 still written with "ck". today only with "k".), in which he published a large number of prose essays and poems. they were written in pure and simple german, and appealed to the popular taste; in many there was a vein of extravagant humour or even burlesque, while others were full of quiet meditation and solemn sentiment. in his later days, perhaps through the influence of klopstock, with whom he had formed an intimate acquaintance, claudius became strongly pietistic, and the graver side of his nature showed itself. in 1814 he moved to hamburg, to the house of his son-in-law, the publisher friedrich christoph perthes, where he died on january 21, 1815. ==works== claudius's poem death and the maiden was used by composer franz schubert in 1817 for one of his most celebrated songs, which in turn became the basis for the 1824 string quartet of the same name. claudius's collected works were published under the title of asmus omnia sua secum portans, oder sÃ¤mtliche werke des wandsbecker boten (8 vols., 1775â1812; 13th edition, by c. redich, 2 vols., 1902). his biography has been written by wilhelm herbst (4th ed., 1878). see also m. schneidereit, m. claudius, seine weltanschauung und lebensweisheit (1898). ===poems=== *abendlied or der mond ist aufgegangen (song of evening or the moon has risen) *der mensch (the human) *christiane *die sternseherin lise (lise the astrologer) *die liebe (the love) *der tod (the death) *ein wiegenlied bei mondschein zu singen (a lullaby to sing in the moonlight) *tÃ¤glich zu singen (to be su
1740_births 1815_deaths German_Freemasons German_Lutherans German_poets People_from_the_Duchy_of_Holstein University_of_Jena_alumni