The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
III.

The most popular Of Heine's books in
our day, that with which his name Is most
inseparably connected, the "Buch der
Lieder." published in 1927, consists OF
groups Of poems belonging to different
years and periods. TIKI first group, 'Junge
Lieden" QSl7-3l), is the weakest. The
subjects treated are early reoollectiens OF
Dusseldorf and Of a happy childhood there,
the writer's love for his mother, Napoleon
worship, much Catholic Rhinelsnd romance,
churchyard dances Of death, with rattling
Of bones and all sorts Of visions. or these
youthful poems the best are the famous
e~pigrammatio quatrains beginning Il at
first was neal despsiring,' the earliest
example Of the condemnation OF Heipe's
style: a few Of the ~sonnets, which are much
more impassioned than the great majority
Of German experiments In this field, and,
lastly, the inimitable ballad Of the 1.-TWO
G~renAdiers."
The second group, which owes it's title,
Lyric Intermezzo,' to the fact that IL
first appeared as a lyric interlude between
the authors two tragedies 'Almansor'
and "RadcliG,' treats Of the same subjects
db tD6 nTBt, u VI nlOiO uiiSOhlhilSh
cal forms and with freer artistic manipus
lation. In these poems be sings OF love,
but dwells almost exclusively on Its woes.
as, for example, In the following stanSas
translated by Sir Theodore Martin;
Thy check incline. dear love, to mine.
Then our team In one stream win meet, love.
Let thy heart be pressed TIL on mine II rest.
Then tho flames together viii beat, love!
And when the stream Of our tears shall light
On that dame so Hereby burning.
And within my arms ! clasp thee tight
shsii die with loves wild ~yearning.
The same volume Of poems included tho
we'll known sIch hab' dich geliebet und
liebe dich noch' q have loved thee long, and
I love thee stil); and the very famous Elm
J1ngling liebt Elm Madohen, die hat einen
Andern erwahlt' "a young man loves a
maiden who another to him prefers). Mr..
Brandes points out that here, with intention
al triviality of dlction, and with an imper-
eonality which is unusual with him, Heipe
generalizes the human fate which has made
Of him an, erotio poet. The 'Buch dor Lie
der contains the delightful mountain
rhymes conceived in the course Of a walking
tour which Heine took by way OF refresh
ment after bis law studies In Gottingen, and
the collection closes with the North Sea
poems, inspired by two visits to Norderney,
and written in forceful, irregular rhythm.
Goethe, it will be remembered, had never
sung the sea, though otherwise he seemed to
nave exhausted every other theme, 90 far as
nature was concerned. In Heine's North
Sea poems We hear for the first time In
German poetry the oar Of the ocean, with
all its freshness and in ell its might. Here
for the first time we AVE shells in the sand
beneath our feet, and sea gulls In the air
above us. Yet there is comparatively
little description: 1t is the posts " memo
rios, griefs and hopes that ill those verses.
II Is his intense longing to be able to breathe
freely that breaks forth In the famous
cry with which the ten thousand Greeks,
after their long and terrible march, hailed
the element that spoke to them Of home:
4Thalattai T~halatta!-T salute thee, o
eternal seal' In the same group are
comprised some OF Heins's most beautiful
and unforgettable poems. In one Of those,
'Die Nacht am Strande,' is described the
poets visit to q fsherman's pretty daugh-
ter. Mastery is the sketch Of her appear
anee as she sits bending over a fire. We
append Leland's version OF the lines:
Til the flashing. ruddy flame rays
Shine again In magic lustre
On her glowing conntenance:
On the soft and snow white shoulder
which 90 touchingly peers out
From its COARSE gray linen covering:
And on the busy lttle hand
Which Ia fastening the garment
That conceals her slender limbs.