Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-06-22
A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM.
BY MAX NORDAU.
AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION BY MARY ]. Stafford.

them. and one who has experienced them
only needs to be reminded of them
They are always the same. Memories
of childhood, rapture and extravaganza,
words of enthusiastic love, words which
create the slight tremor Of the skin like
a cool breeze on the caress of toying fin
gers SO they walked a long. long time
in the dark park, without needing the
flight of time. far from the world and I'M
utterably happy.
Il am tired, KARL Ada said at last,
and leaned her head on his shoulder.
They were near a low, grassy bank, a
few PAGES from the central avenue, and
almost under the balcony of the castle,
but completely concealed by the dense
shadow Of the Overarching trees. Karl
spread his shawl over the bank and the
ground, placed Ada on it, and reclined at
her feet, resting his head in her lap.
The balcony and the windows and lights
of the drawing room could all be seen
from this spot The window still stood
open, the notes of a piano were heard
and voice began the song:
From out my tears will bloom
Full many a dow'ret fair
A pretty but somewhat cold female
voice, with no especial tenderness and
feeling Yet the combined poesy of
Heine and Schumann triumphed glori-
ously over the inadequacy of the eXecu-
ton. The wonderful, choral-like melo-
ny SOdTeQ ike Tie ulSuI VI Il SWIM ONcL
the rapt pair, and completely dissolved
their souls in melody and love:
Before thy windows shall ring
The song of the nightingale,
sang the woman's voice above, and the
accompanying piano completed the air
with an organ-like closing accord.
BE Before thy = windows t VS. 5 shall all rng
Karl softly repeated, in his beautiful
h
tempest Of passion, his arms clasped
Ada's waist, and he gazed up at her
with Wild flaming eyes. She bent
down to him and her lips met his. which
nearly scorched them. Leaning back,
and gently pushing his head away, she
whispered:
Don't repeat verses by Heine; say
something which is yours, and is COM
posed for me-"
''That I will, Ada" he cried, and,
kneeling before her, clasping her in a
close embrace and devouring her face
wrought up to the highest pitch of emo
ton, he said in a rapid improvisation,
bursting from the inmost depths of his
soul:
In the shadowy hour when ghosts do fit,
Thou art to me beauteous dream;
To thy lips | cling, yet while | love,
My happiness scarce real doth seem.
Thy mouth and thy fair hands do I kiss,
| kiss thine ewes and thy silken hair,
And should our lives end at this hour,
Still we should die happy pair.
Her eyes were half closed, and her
bosom heayed
After short pause, he continued slow
ly in a tremulOus voice:
Oh, God, that I should find thee here,
Only to cause my woe,
For thou wilt vanish from my gaze
Ere the first cock doth crow.
''No, no." she murmured, almost in
audibly, sinking into his arms, which
clasped her wildly and ardently, pressing
her to his heart, while his lips showered
kisses upon her and a sudden ecstacy be-
gan to cloud her senses.
Then, just at that moment the clock
in the Marktbreit church Steeple struck
2, the blast of the horn followed and the
mysterious voice rose in the invisible city
and sang, this time close at hand and
seemingly with significant emphasis:
Two paths are to each mortal shown;
Lord, guide me in the narrow one.
AS if stung by a serpent, Ada started
up, Wrenched herself by a sudden move
ment from KarFs clasping arms and
FASTENED away as though pursued by
her white figure had vanished IN the
castle and Karl found himself alone be-
fore the grassy bank; ne might have
believed it q dream if the mantilla had
not still lain there exhaling Ada's ia
vorite perfume, a faint fragrance of
carnations.
With heavy, dulled brain. aching
limbs and strange sense of pain IN
his heart, Karl staggered back to the
castle and to his room. For long time
sleep fled from him. A thousand
scenes lowered in a confused throng be-
fore his fancy, blending into a witch
dance in whose mazes his own brain
seemed to whirl also, until the giddi-
ness became intolerable. He saw Ada
in various observation-disclosures seat
ed opposite to him at the table
then in the drawing room-anon clasped
in his arms sometimes brightly IL
Illuminated as the queen of the ball
room-sometimes a faint, dark vision
against the somber background of the
woodland-he inhaled her favorite per-
her ips-he heard her voice and the
melancholy music of the nightwatch-
man and the notes of the dancing tune
from the ballroom, and amid these eX-
citing delusions of the senses a rest
less, dream-haunted slumber at last over
took him.
1t was almost noon when ne awoke.
At first his head felt confused and
empty, but gradually he collected his
thoughts, and now the experiences of
the previous night again stood clearly
before his eyes. He suddenly recalled
all his feelings during the walk
IN T. So
W. E 90 asA$