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Frontispiece

*Ode to Joy*
(Friedrich von Schiller's original 1785 version.)

Joy, thou beauteous lightning of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium¹,
Intoxicated with fiery passion, we enter
Heaven, thy holy home!
Thy enchantments unite together
What society's sword did divide,
All men can become brothers,
Where thy gentle wings abide.
	Freude, schöener Göetterfunken,
	Tochter aus Elysium,
	Wir betreten feuertrunken,
	Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
	Deine Zauber binden wieder
	Was der Mode Schwert geteilt,
	Bettler werden Fuerstenbrueder,
	Wo dein sanfter Fluegel weilt.

These words which make up the first verse,2 of Schiller’s Ode to Joy, make a wonderful introduction to this book since they speak of a joy that has almost disappeared from the modern highly industrialized and technical world. It is also significant that the joy described in his poem inspired Ludwig van Beethoven to write the powerful music to those words and to include for the first time a full chorus in the fourth movement finale of his now famous Ninth Symphony in c minor. This book is about the reality of such a joy that does in fact create a heaven on earth.

¹ See Appendix for complete poem
² Paradise

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