Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-05-23
For the Chronicle.
ITEMS FROM THE LIFE OF SCHIL-
LER.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY
FRANK JOHNSON.

From 1890 to 1874 not single origi
nal poem was finished, but merely the
translations from Virgil fall into thil
time. There was, however, no lack O
plans for future labors inpoetical com
position. Schiller was then chiefly
employed in conceiving the idea of q
Hymn to Light and Theodicy.
This Theodicy.'. he writes, is Z
source of great anticipated enjoyment
to me, for the new philosophy is more
poetical than the Leibnitzian, and ha:
greater character.
Especially did the history of the
thirty years war-which he prepared
for Goeschen's historical almanac SUBJ
sequently to the year 1791-furnish
him with materials for employment in
the sphere of poetry. The thought Of
choosing Gustavus Adolphus as the
hero of an epic poem engaged him for
time. as is to be seen from the follow
ing passage in his letters:
''Gustavus Adolphus stands high up
in the scale of historical subjects, where
poetic interest is most intimately
blended with NATIONAL and political
The history of mankind forms neces-
sary episode to the history of the re-
formation, which is inseparably con-
nected with the thirty years war
Therefore the whole history of man
kind is naturally thrown only upon the
ordering spirit of the poet in an heroic
poem that extends from the battle al
Leipsic to the battle at Lutzen, thus
creating far greater interest in the
treatment thereof, than if this had
been the principal subject.
just at this time he first conceived
the "WallenStein." When, as soon as
the year 1892, this idea was to be car
ried into execution, Schiller wrote in
reference to it the following:
Properly speaking, it is only art itself
in which am confident of my powers;
in theory l have always to be plaguing
myself with principles; there I am
merely an amateur. But for the very
sake of practice l like to philosophize
upon theory. Criticism must now
itself indemnify me for the harm it
has done me. And, indeed, / have
suffered detriment at its hands; for
the boldness, the living fire that once
when as yet | was ignorant
of rules, have failed me several years
past. Now whenever | create and
frame | myself observe the process, |
watch the play of inspiration, and my
imagination demeans itself with less
freedom since it knows itself no longer
But when l arrive at the
stage at which conformity to the rules
of art becomes second nature, as ed
ucation to cultivated man, then fancy
receives her former freedom back
again, and sets herself no bounds that
are not self prescribed"
But seven years were yet to pass
before the "Wallenstein" was finished;
but, before its completion there inter-
vened a period of dependency, when
Schiller was almost induced to give
this work up. In his letters of the
year 1894, occurs the following pass
age:
In the preparation of this work
(the "Wallenstein, } l have not infre-
quently felt anxious and fearful, for l
believe that every day more fully con-
vinces me that the avocation of poet
is that to which l am alone adapted
and that the poetic spirit takes the
strongest hold upon me when I wish
to losophize. What am / to do?
I am risking, in this undertaking, seven
or eight months of my life, of which
1 have cause to be sparing, and am ex-
posing myself to the danger of show
ing to the world an unsuccessful pro-
duction. My previous dramatic crea-
tions are not well calculated to in
spire me with courage. In the truest
sense of the word ! am traversing an
or, at least, an untried road;
for assumed in poetry, three or four
years since, an entirely new charac-
ter"
Not long previous to his making use
of these expressions, Schiller had un-
dertaken revision of his poems, and,
from the views he then entertained,
we can imagine the rigorous treatment
to which he subjected his earlier pro-
ductions. However, it must not be
thought that hypochondriac disposi-
ton arising from his physical suffer-
ings, generally possessed him, at that
time. Several passages from his let
ters show that, just now, there was
nothing from which he was farther re-
moved than from a state of insensibil-
ity to a spirited activity and the higher
enioyments of life.
After the French Revolution broke
out, when the fate of Louis XVI was
to be decided, Schiller wrote to friend
in December, 1892, as follows:
DO you not know of any one who