The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-01-22
POETRY.
IN. Y. World !
The Lady and the Lion.

None of our fair readers certainly, and few of
our readers who are not fair, we hope can need
to be reminded of the trenchant poem in
which Robert Browning takes up and defends
the cause OF the lady who babe the Knight De
Lorges leap down into the arena snd pick up
her glove lying there within easy reach of an
angry lion. The poem was provoked by Schil-
ler's earlier ballad of 4" The Glove,' in which
the incident was treated from the purely mas
culine point of view. Browning makes ont
very good case for the lady who calmly states
to Pierre Ronsard when he questioned her that
she took De Lorges at his word. He had re.
peatedly declared his desire 10 risk death in her
service, and as she really wanted the glove, she
thought he would not object to making his
word good by getting it, particularly when she
had observed that page did not hesitate to
leap the barrlar in order to pick up bis own cap
which had fallen over it. In Browning's
poem, too the lady, after De Lorges throws her
over, marries a more devoted lover and lives
happy ever sfter; while as for De Lorges be
weds court beauty who attracts the notice of
King Francis, and who continually sends him
of, when the king comes to see her, t, fetch
her gloves from some remote place where she
has left them. All this preface will doubtless
lend peculiar interest to the following eminent
ly Teutonic and literal version of
THE ''HANDsHcE" OF SCHILLER"
overset into English after the spirits and
measures of the authentcal, by DR.. Heinrich
Kreuss, Phi. D., and go wider:
Before bis Lion-Gardeu,
The Beast-tght taking part in,
Sits Good King Frank,
And And beside him the Princess Of Crown,
And from balcony high spying down,
The Dame. in a handsome Rank.
And as he wiuks with his Finger
The gate is thrown open by Springer;
And herein his considerate Foots
A Lion puts,
And eyes him, proud,
The crowd.
And, as he stares,
He rattles his hairs;
Then spreads his Limb
And lays down him.
And the King winks more
Then opens him speedy,
A second door;
And out runs greedy,
With savage Hop
A tiger before
As he the Lion at seeth,
He pauses Step,
Ways bis End
In threatening Bend,
And mills bis Teeth;
Then sticks his Eye ON
The gruesOme Lion,
unfair of comes,
FIercey huns.
And lays him down.
And the King winks more;
And from another out-tone Door
Two Le0pards are spitted forth.
They rush with fght-eager Haste
On the Tier Beast
He strokes them with his grim-rude Pats.
And the Lion. with Roar,
Elevates him up and waits for War,
And round, 10 Loop,
A blood eager Group,
Sit waiting all those grim-face1 Cats.
Then Falls, from the Balcony Stand,
A Handshoe from dy-iike Hand;
And comes, both the Tiger and Lion,
Pretty nigh on.
Ga the brave Sir De Lorges, in mocking Way
The fair Miss Kunigunde turns her Eye;
"Mr. Sir, if you love me 50 warm" she say.
"And are of the meaning to win me die,
So heave me the Handshoe up.''
Aud the Sir who knows not Fear.
Jumps down without any nger-
"A graceful bound!
And from the perious Ground,
Heaye up the Haudshoe with valiant Finger.
And high astount and sore afraid is
Every Sir, and all the ladies'
But co0ly he brings her the Handshoe.Gloye,
(While his praise Is applauded from every Neck)
And with tendersh LOox of Love,
To fill him with blisstul Expect,
Receives him fair Mits Kunigunde.
And he throws her the Handshoe in at her face;
And "Miss!' be cries, 81 want none OF your Grace %
And in that Hour quits her asunder.