Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-05-19
HEINE

Concerning this impassioned and erTatic
German poet, a writer observes: Heine's
dramas and tragedies were the first windfall
OF his poetical imagination Only twenty
three years old when he wrote them, he was
then known as young lyric poet, and
dreamer In whom passion had already begun
to be an intolerable suffering, either ill-con-
cealed by bitter irony, or marked by heart
less defiance, yet giving him no truce. Ger
many was, therefore, taken by surprise, and
wondered, as the world has wondered ever
since, at SO much audacity, so much fierce
and reckless independence, and such ready
courage to carry his colors unfurled to the
wind of every passing opposition In so young
man.
Yet the charm of Heine' writings is ire
sistible They are so genuine, so simple, so
truthful, frank and open-hearted, ahd moo
dy, like the unguarded capriciousness of
child. His style is unique in its airy light
ness, and in that exquisite music movement
we call grace. Now strong, impassioned,
and eloquent with the ardor of heart arous-
ed from its depths, then suddenly falling
down to the softest fute-like notes of suavi-
ty, till the expression dies away in tears.
For Heine lives in full in all he writes. We
ind him at every turn of the page, loving
and suffering, with his unparalleled mobility
of nature, his rare qualities, his many vices;
the man and the artist, such as nature fash
ioned in one of her most daring moods.
Heine has no other hero but himself When
he takes us to the voluptuous, sun-embrown-
ed Spain, or we follow him under the chilly
gray sky of Scotland, lingering in Italy, or
exiled in Paris, it is always his own tormen-
ted soul which he unveils to our gaze, and
which we contemplate as the stage upon
which are first enacted the tragieal follies of
his life He tells US himself 81 have
yearned for pure ideal human love, and a
found nothing but bitter hatred; SO | sighed
and | cursed
That very confession of profound disap-
pointment and Of mournful sadness draws
us so close to Heine, and at once creates be-
tween him and usa fast fellow-feeling of sym
pathy. His exceptional nature mustTemain
above reach of our small conventional foot
measure. He scorned restraints. Impulse
was the only law he recognized, and pleasure
the only divinity he worshipped; but we
should remember that strong lights project
strong shadows; besides we may admire the
artist, if not the man, if words that make
one of the most original and brilliant pages
in modern literature.
1t is mostly as lyric poet that Helne has
won an enduring place in the heart OF the
people. All his poems are songs, inexpress-
IDLY sweet and sad. Some have about them
| the plaintiff music of a lullaby, and make us
drowsy and faint; others, on the contrary,
sound like the wild wall of storm breaking
on desolate shores, with not even the fit
ting vision of a solitary sea bird. But all
alike are marked with the same vivid ina
ginativeness. hghtness of touch and fantas-
tic humor. Noman ever wrote like Heine.
Too impressible for any great and sustained
intellectual effort, he Is SO varied and versa
tile, so rapid in his flights from thought to
sensation, and from criticism to pathetic ten
derness, that his genius draws upon all the
forces of our nature, and awakens to thefull
| all its sensibilities.
His precision of touch is remarkable.
Criticism with him is an intuition which
guides him unerringly in his sketches Of
character, or his estimate of pictures and
books Unfinchingly independent of pub
lie opinion, he cared not for the frown of
the malcontents who surrounded him. Lit
erature and art richly opened their treasures
to him; we know how delicately he has gath
cred the half hidden pollen out fevery flow
er there.