New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-21
MUSICAL PILGRIMAGE.
VISITING THE CAVE OF VENUS.
LEGENDS AND sUpERsrrIoSs OF THE HoEH'
szLpERe-rHE IMAGINARY AND THE REAL
trxoaAs rAy, coaae.roxpsxr OF HR rR'auSk'


ira cave paint them in the roseate hues employed
bv the old German poet whose tale the Pilgrim mas
dore into English prose but without ono eA'
ccption they have an uncanny conclusion IN "hlcn
can he read the completeness OF the hold WHICH
the superstitous dread, inspired by the earliest
racan lcaends, has gained upon the people "l
the vicinity The boldcst OF the tales. one us
sociated from the elements common 70 tne o'llcis'
is found in an old chronicle OF Eisenach. lhiS
relates that one day In the year l39o threc
tongues OF fire were seen floating 10 'hc "'r
over the town Of Eisenach. For space they
few hither and tbi'her, then united In single
vast flame then separated ngnin. and finally dis-
appcared with loud noise in the cave. Inc
other tales were preserved, like that OF Iann-
hacusrr in popular ballads, or were handed down
by word OF mouth until the FolkorlSt acconi-
plislcd his task OF preservation. lnat tne!
keep on breeding new tales TO this day the III
grim can testify, for his guide had ghost s'oIS
to tell during the climb up the monntalh-slue'
whose only defect was that there was zoo mnch
modern rationalsm in the telling. when one Is
going to face HOLE and her grewsome crew. an"
is prepared to try 10 produce an impression Ia
cosc the Dame should present herself in her ami
able mood, it is not entirely in harmony with
the occasion to have mysterious lights. fitting
/ ABOUT IrOM pace W pLaNC' S"o"oN~
WAY switchman's lantern. guide who will DO
TINT has no bowels Of romanticsm IL was 4ulc
rs rrievous 10 hear this prosaic guide speak IT.
revcrently and even sceptically. about the OH
stories, to the truth Of which the presence OF
such substantial things as mountains, and caves
and springs Of running water bore the Old
fashioned kind Of evidence. as it was not 70
hear the peasants In the field singing the oio
ballad Of Tannhacrser:
Nun will ,chS hcbcn an
Won dem DanhcuSer I'll singer
Vnnd Was er wunders gethan
Mi scyner Frauwen Vcnnsinhcn.'
Eut in this respect the Pilgrim farrd no worse
,bor many another traveller. Those children OF
Nature that ONE goes into the mountains to see
arc very much Hike city children at home
they never show Of when you most
want them to. The only Swiss cos
tunes which have seen in Switzerland were
worn By the neat girls who waited on 't'
tables n, tic Schweizerhof Hotel near Scha1h"n.
sen. and the only Alpine horn blower whom |
have heard thus far is that stoop-shou"eIe1 on
bumbur who goes pottering about on RiGi-knn'
swelling his cheeks to split and behaving as II MS
dolcful noises helped the sun up and down every
day. I lel!cvc that he ought to be prosecuted
N,r attaining ,aoEev under false pretences. hl!'
as nobody ever sees whether or not tn" sun oNEs
hin, because u the fog banks which cone u
help him in bis deceit, il might he dlficut 20
con-ict him But Ia get back Ia Thnrlnga' y
sixteenth century poem disclo'es the na'nf" OF
most Of the tales which are told OF the cave since
fine DAYS Of Tannhaeueer and Ad"lbcrt Accord
Ing to this poem. TWO shepherds once on t''tr
way II, me froT:l a merry making. passed near The
.,v. M midnirht They were somewhat the
worse for liquor aid begIllei the time as they
passed along with shouting, sngins ana playing
npon their sh,ms nnl hagpi~s Suddch!y thcy
were confronted by three dark mcn. who com
manded them To follow into the cave - make
music there Try as they would they could not
resist For thirteen days they were prisoners
inside the ulountqin. Then they appeared az
ho,nc. but a gr.at change had come over
,lcm Th~y never smiled more, and never
playrd for the village dance, but gave up the
remainder OF t,.cir days TO signs and sadness
Tie theme Of ,lis old tale runs through many
others. but has been vnrousy em'rlished. IN
ore instance TIE victim ia lutisf. who paeS's ~
the mountain Oh his way To- a wct!iES iVT ".i'h
hc lad lroH engaged. y tall. black man sum
mons LIN within the cave. AID. Ike tsr sep
herd. 10 is constr ircd 20 follow ~ The ui'dtl
Ac u.cc,s faithful Eckhart. who III oil Ihnrin-
,iau kscn!s Ias>'N H., time ~ tie mountains
warning thc haplrss country folk ns inst The
Niil Uun,amnn and Dame llollc. Tm' nohk
bids him keep stout heart. 10 refuse III" goa
which would hc offered him. and above all not
+, turn back his head no matter what stron-c
things HI should scc or hear. SiA days did ir
nI,y III. lu,e within tie cave. and BE- such
sights >, sll,rl.d Lin forever AZ the cApira-
ton Of that ,crod a dwarf approached ala!
b.ckoucd him 70 follow He obr,rl. bat i:s
curiosity Ike that Of Eurydcc escaping from
IIa,cs ovcrcamr his regard for faithful Fckharts
warming: hc turned 70 learn the CAUSE OF "A
0ut,rru,s noiso behind him. and found that he
wos iring followed by pack Of grisly. Grllni!s
succtrcs How he escaped into the open air Lc
could never tell. but bis head niaincd twisted
over his s,Ionllcr. aEl lc died after Short time
spent In deepest melancholy
The most beautiful variant OF the diSrcGar!"d
warning which marks this tale is that found IN
tic story Of the slcpl.erI Of Mechtlstacdt LIS
| shepherd lad driven his sheep to spring 10 re-
| fresh then, when 70 his auazcment hc found near
| il a hill, which he had never before seen, AMI
opring into it lon; and brilliantly lighted pas
s,gr He also saw in rive bushes az he opening
! Of the passage three flowers OF strange form and
golden color lie knew all the plants of the val
le, but hal never seen such. lie plackcd one "i
| the flowers I" examine il more closely. aud sud
| Gcply saw maiden, clad IL wiutr, pale of feat
Tres, with Il pleading expression III her eyes, dr-
preaching him down the passage With s'rro"-
hcgl,d voice She bc:-;rd the shepherd 10 enter,
cad when Lc obcyed, still holding tie Hover,
size turned toward ium aud said Vow yon can
release inc, but do not forget the Gil iccst tiln-
when You return" Within tie mountain the
| shepherd found himself surrounded with gold ahd
| precious stones, and soon looked in upon vast
| banquc:ing room, Whose walls glttered III tie
| light sized by Thousand candles. Courcly
| ladies' In richest raimcnt uud gallant knights IN
polished arnor sat about a table and silently
passed a drinking-,cssel from hand to HAND.
The shepherds courage oozcd out Of him; he
turned TO hy but tempted by the sight Of q
MAGNIFICENT drinking horn which hung under