New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-10
aHAKESPRARE IN GERMANY.

Rpp,M Feb. 13-The most superficial ac-
saa,nt.nee with Germany enough 90 show the Oh
carver a country where Shakespeare is profoundly
.tudied century ago, when weland and LEASING III
trnced the great dramatist TO their countrymen ne
MAS almost unknown on the Continent The sneers OF
yoaire had kept him Of France, and rs the Gacan
,s Of Frederic the Great had not yet been driven out
nv the growing spirit OF natonahsm, he was but little
known in Germany Leasing was the real author OF the
revival Of Teutono literature as substitute Tor inc
rassicalsm Of Racine and Cornele aud he turned az
tenton toward the great English bard. little later
ehakespearean studies came into fashion In France III
"a however, a curious illustration OF the dt
ference between the Germans ana Frencn
and an illustration which 1 can confirm out Oh
my own observations that willie the former hnger over
metaphysical and mystical side OF Shakespeare e
latter attracted by the parts in which passion anu
pathos play the largest The favorite play 10 Ger
many is Hamlet In France. 0theo. The Germans rove
% light their pipes aud speculate over the grave auu nv
full Dane the French 70 WOO with the MOOT anu WIN
him TO smother suspected wife Young ladies' at fafls
can repeat Othelo readily as the discreet No"s vi
h,nene or the love songs Alfred de Nusset; but the
profoundes students and admirers Of Shakespeare are
found side OF the Rhine Accordingly ne Is sanu
ard family author In all German cities ana mas ms pace
ON the stage with the native playwrights Theie is
probably no other theaer the world winch gives from
year 10 year so large number OF Shakesearean plays as
the Royal Theaer of Berlin This is III large measure
due TO the fact that the Germans have an admirable
translation of those plays. A. W. Sehlegeis translation
of Shakespeare is those immortal works, which,
like dictionaries aud cycOpedas, bring the labor
ers the fame which their patience and talent deserve or
which would proportion to the enjoyment that they
bring to Others.
one of the most interesting books which have lately
seem appeared in the latter part OF 1872 under the ute,
History Origin OF schegeps
shakespeare. The author is Michael Bernays, a we'll
student both of Shakespeare and OF his transa
The o0ect OF his treatise. which contains some 20
pages follow out, by means OF original manuscript
the processes which guided the translator IN his work
He has mad free schleges papers. which IN
clude not only manuscript Of the printed ransla-
ton with its and corrections but also earlier
versions which afterward land aside copied with
essential changes. They embrace TRANSACTIONS made
when he student, variations OF translatons by
wIeland, Herder and Others and suggestions made to
himself by Caroline Sehlege In many cases Herr Der
nays succeeded in establishing authoritatively dis
pued text For example in the first act of Hamlet is
the line, all you hosts of HeayeDW which, In most
editions Of schegeis translation is rendered, 20 Herr des
HiHlaneis :" This literally, Lord OF Heaven"
and II has often tended that what Scblege really
wrote was o Heer deS HmrRels which means army"
that 10 say hos and renders correctly Shakespeare
thought. Herr Bernays has now found an earlier drat
Of the line which it reads, HinmesheeT. showing
conclusively that "Heer" and not Herr was in
scheges mind number OF other passages are cleared
up in same way aud flood Of light is thrown Oh the
trsDslators work.
1706, when he ~ years OId Scnlesei pesdu
studies az Ongen, where he made the acquaintance OF
Heine and Burger the latter being of his teachers
n Both scholars and critics. Burger had studied
Shakespeare and made some translatons from Mid
sammer Nights Dream" and these, as well as WE
lands translation of the play and Herders essays
on English poet stimulated the young Schlegel to
make some adaptations OF his He translated Mid
summer Nights Dream and some parts OF " Romeo and
Julia" az the Germans name it, while he a student
at GOtungen. These early essays have delightful
freshness and spirit They were made just as the TO
mantle reaction against the classical despotsm of the
French school and the artificial style OF Pope and Dry
den reached the dignity of universal revolt; and, III
consequence, the young translator made rather free
with original his poet, and trod CONTEMPORARY
ON rules of his art These transations were never
published. Ii appears that the experiment only
schoOlooys recreation and he hardly dreamed Of the
plan undertaking the task more seriously and on
larger scale.
On leaving G6ttingen schegel removed Amsterdam,
and plunged into business. He took his Shakespeare
with him however and studied 1t assduously; but he
wrote but ltte and that apparently without precise
purpose. While he at Amsterdam be seems 10 have
conceived idea OF his great Translation GOethes
wilhelm Meister had appeared in the interval and had
thrown fresh light over Shakespearean learning. be
had utterly destroyed the theory that Shakespeare
only a natural singer without any knowledge OF the
poetical aud proved cOnelusvey that be was con-
summate artist well as great poet This seems TO
have opened life 10 schlegel. We find him revising
his old Midsummer Nights Dream" trimming of the
foreign sentiments tOnng down the of his own
fancy aud shaping his into close conformity
with text He speaks more OF tranelang Shake
speare with all faults but OF translang Shakespeare
~ he himself wrote. He began 20 make studies and to
publish essays in this direction. The most notable is
based on Goethe's suggestions in Wilhelm Meister. He
went TO Jena where he met Schiller, and seems about
this time TO have formed definitely the design Of his
great Translation He retired TO Hamburg and the rest
is known The history OF his life for the few succeeding
years the history OF the standard German translation
Of shakespeare and the key TO epoch in dramatic
Herr Bernay illustrates his treatise with great many
Interesting comparisons of Sehege printed text with
versions which be tried and rejected Next in value
"a the possession OF shakespeare's manuscript
which would indeed be nvauabe-is the possession Of
that of his most translator and Of his
foundest students. In the case of Midsummer Nights
Dream" the author shows how Schlegel transformed
the rich aud liberal his earlier translation into
the ripe and moderate fidelity OF the current edition.
There are where he has changed Aexandran lines
Into the common Of five feet and the change
was accomplished generally without adding to the num-
Ter OF lines u affords interesting study OF the prnci
pie that condensation does not necessarily mpoversh
the poetry. Ipermit myself one example. Lysander
says:
Love take the meaning n loves conference"
In 1882 at college, schlegel felt bound TO give this
thought sterious and reeondte form he worked
on AexaDdrnes, and after great difficulty and much
revision produced the following:
Die I5ebe mept hem Ara drum leg sueh Iiehe nelt
Dss NINA rgeh oss Liebe kindleh spheb
In 1896 the fire Of youthful enthusiasm had partly
subdued his style become flexible, and in the
common heroic measure schlegel produced the fol |
lowing: ,
De Htbe W. Lebe spreht
uwould be hard to hnd seven words which would
render more literally the sense of the second line vet il