The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-06-14
Heine's Widow.

died at Paris at the age of 6S. When
Heine saw her for the first time at stu
dents ball she was young girl with a
round full face, large black eyes and
abundant hair, with beautiful white
teeth and laughing mouth; real type
of the Partisan working girl, with hands
= of an aristocratic distinction. What
captivated Heine was the voice of this
girl; it was the voice of warbler who
always sang in the high chorus. The
voice of this warbler was for Henri
Heine source of enchantment until the
day of his death. In his long agony he
loved to repeat, "How many times her
voice has recalled my soul at the mo-
ment when, really, it took its flight to-
and gaiety of her race she cared for him
who had given her his heart for her JOY
Gus and clear prattle. Unfortunately
her voice was only able to bring out the
beauties of Nine de Sevignes letters;
poetry was not her forte.
He bad sent her some months to o
boarding school; but the only result
seems to have been that she was able to
astonish him by repeating long lists of
Egyptian kings. Thinking that she
ought to learn German she took lessons
from German exile, and she was very
proud when she could say to visitors
from the fatherland, "Nehmen Sic
Plata phrase that is so difficult that
whenever she succeeded in pronouncing
it she laughed heartily. According to
Nine. Jaubert, in whose Souvenir"
there is an interesting essay on Heine,
Mathilde had never read any of ner hus-
bands writings. and did not even know
that he was poet. Lately" he said to
Nine Jaubert, 81 have discovered in her
vague idea that my name is printed in
a review--but she does not know which
one." She was not quite so ignorant as
this, but she did ask Heine's friends
sometimes, whether he was really, as
people said, "a very clever man, and
had written beautiful books" On one
occasion, as Heine wrote to Lowell, she
looked into the French translation of his
"Reisebllder." He saw that she at once
became pale and began trembling. She
lighted on u passage in which he speaks
of himself as lover; and Heine had to
pacify her by promising that in future
he would never make love even TO imag-
mary maidens. It is feared that Eeine
will be gravely censured by advocates of
the higher education of women; for the
intellectual darkness of his wife, far
from vexing him. afforded him constant
amusement; and he was delighted to
think that his fame as writer had moth
ing to do With her attachment to him.
Nine. LAMBERT says that on his mat
tress. grave" he was horribly jealous;
and, on the authority of Heine's doctor,
she tells how the poor poet, haunted by
unjust suspicious" glided one night
from his bed and crept to the door Of his
wife's ro~ We he lay for long
sine IN ~.o.v rNo other bio2rapher
mentions this Incident, or any incident
of the same kind; and when Heine ex-
pressed, or affected to express, anxiety
about his wife, he always did so with
touch of humor. Yesterday" he said
to q German friend who visited him, 81
was very restless. My wife had dressed
and gone out at two O'Clock, and had
promised to be back at four. Half past
four comes, and she does not appear;
half past five comes, and she does not
appear; half past six, half past seven
still she does not return. At eight my
fears increase. Could she, tired OF the
sick man, have gone away with some
one? In my distress I send the maid
into her room to see whether Cocotte, the
parrot, is there. Yes, Cocotte is there!
A stone falls from my heart. breathe
again. Without Cocotte she would never
have left mel
One night when Heine was seized with
one of those dreadful attacks which fin
ally killed him. his wife clasped his
hand, warmed it in hers and caressed
him. She wept bitterly, and in a voice
half-smothered in sobs, the poet heard
her say: "No. Henri, you will not die.
will you? You will have pity! have
already lost my parrot this morning; if
you should die should be too un-
happy" This" he afterwand said to
Nine. Jaubert, twas an order; obeyed,
and continued to live. You understand,
my friend. that when am given such
good reasons"
However childlike, or childish, Nine
Heine may have been, and whether her
husband was jealous or not, it is not
true, as the Paris correspondent Of the
Times asserts, that "Heine's physical
and mental sufferings were aggravated
by the bitter consciousness of his blum.
der" in marrying ner. They loved each
other to the end and the few CLEANS of
happiness which inspired Heine with
courage to live he owed chiefly to his
wife's companionship and loyal service.
That she loved him ardently every one
who saw them together testifies. For
Mathildc," says Meissner, who knew
them intimately. "Heine was not. a. for