The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-09
THE L0VELEI.
A Legend Of the Rhine.
A Letter from Germany.
Cologne, Sept. 10, 1910.

OelOW Cne llCCle COWn ODeTWeS6l CQeTo pro-
jects into the stream q great broken-of
mass Of rock cal led the hurlei. This mass
Of rock causes the stream to be narrower
and deeper and swifter here than any
where else. For that reason the boatman
who went up or down the river by this
place needed here all his strength and
skill to pass the point safely. 1t was in
the summer Of 962 that the Lovelei ap-
peared. From all accounts she must have
been a wondrously beautiful maiden, or
she would not have caused such stir of
excitement as she did. She had blue eyes
and yellow hair, but unfortunately she had
no hairpins, and not being able to fix up
her hair (she had grown too old to plait it
any more, so she thought she sat there on
the top Of the cliff, combing her hair and
singing. The reason Lovelei sat thus out
on the headland instead Of going home and
arranging her coiffure was two-fold. First
her comb was Of pure gold, ami the young
lady properly thought that there was no
use having a golden comb unless others
idea that this particular spot was more IA
vorable for her beauty than any other.
And it was. An attractive maiden she
was indeed anywhere, but on the top of
that bare rock she was irresistible, as was
proved by the first day she sat there. 1t
was Rudolph the son OF the smith at st;
Goar who, returning late In the afternoon
with his boat full Of barley that he had cut
and was bringing to shelter, heard the
wonderful melody and saw the vision OF
beauty on the cliff. Without the least hes
itation he directed the boat square at the
rock, and when it struck he sprang and
clung to the cliff. He succeeded in clam.
bering up some fifty feet before, losing his
hold, he fell. Two neighbors on the oppo-
site shore, having seen this and supposing
that the smiths son was mad, went and
told the father that Rudolph had tried to
scale the cliff and had fallen back into the
river.
"Woe" cried the father, "And the boat?'
"The boat was broken on the rocks"
"Woe Is mel" walled the father, "And
the barleyp"- .....
"The barley Is scattered over the water
and Is being hurried to the seap'
Then the fathers grief knew no bounds
He tore his beard and walled and would
eat no meat for forty days, and would
drink no beer for forty nights. .
It was the very next morning that three
merchants we're going up the river to Cob.
lenz, rowed by three boatmen. They were
shouting greetings to their acquaintance
on the shore when they heard suddenly
GIo SCrdluS Vi u SOue duu GuIuluB SaW Luc
Loyelei on the cliff. The boatmen turned
stood up in front ready to spring. The
rocks at this point were so sharp that the
bottom OF the boats were pierced by them
but the three merchants succeeded in
springing to the cliff and taking hold. The
boatmen who with their now leaking craft
were pushed Aback into the stream by the
merchants springing out, drifted down and
were saved, but the merchants, all three
met the same fate as the emiths son. The
bishop who happened to be riding by at
this time and saw the whole occurrence
asked the boatmen what made them act In
such. q foolish manner. The boatmen ex-
planned that the Lovelei look led so bewitch.
ing and sang so sweetly that they wanted
to get nearer
"Bewitching! that's the word" said the
bishop. And he sent two Of his knights to
bring the Lovelei before him to be tried for
witchcraft. The knights came up the
cliff by path two miles below and ap-
Iovelei, while she was not sing
ing; for she rested sometimes when there
were no boats on the river ..-.
The knights who had not seen Lovelei
were astonished at her beauty, and both
took off their helmets and bowed.
"God greet you, fair maiden" said the
spokesman, will you 60 with us to the
Bishop? He wants to see YOU" .u.
So the three went back to the Bishop,
Lovelei holding her golden comb tight In
both hands, and knight on each side OF
her. The Bishop had frown ready for
the would-be witch, but when he saw the
beautiful young girl, standing abashed be-
a few questions, which she answered 30
sensibly that the Bishop was quite salts
fed and sent ,Lovelei back home. Some
say he sent two knights back with her, but
that Is not true, for the Bishop knew how
to take care OF his knights, and was only
too glad that he had not lost the first two
that he had sent, o.
After Lovelei was gone the Bishop coun-
seled his people when going by this place
to sing as loudly as they could so long as
they were in sight Of the cliff, and not to
look up on any account, and all would be
well. And so it was. And from that day
to this the Rhine folk have been great
singers. -.
Now the fame Of the Lovslei was natur-
ally spread abroad from Coblenz to the
the sea, and was favorite topic Of gossip
Thus, it was quite NATURAL that Brummel:
schoen, then living at Conhuentes, should
hear the reports and gossip; Brummsl; a
SCIlOE4l noo q 4uul4 VI VApl clWH HlLotJ Pdl W
and handsome pose and bearing. he was
indeed quite famed for his conquests
among the fair ones Of the whole district,
and it had been often said that his attract:
iyeness was Irresistible. When he heard
of the Loyelei he at once thought that such
a conquest would reflect credit on him, and
decided to pass by in q small boat and call
the fair singer down to him: No sooner
did he let his resolution be known than it
was npised abroad that the Loyelei was to
meet her match, and come tumblipg down
from her perch.
The day came; There was an immense
crowd on the left bank lined up to see the
event, Brummelschoen was not long 10
songs which, somewhat changed, the stu
dents sing to this day, thus following one
OF the Bishops injunctions to the people.
But the injunction that he should not look
up he naturally ignored; and just when
he looked up happened what the people
looking on could hardly believe, so quickly
did it all take place.
And it was only after they had related
the occurrences to one another several
times that they. came to realizeit. As soon
as BrummeIschoen began to round the
curve where the Loyelei was to be seen,
the onlookers began to hold their breath
with expectation. They saw the man in
the boat as he looked upland heard the
song from above and they heard bis OK:
claIhation: ,
aDpnpeFwetter, tadelloow
Which being interpreted means, "My,
isn't she q beauty" With two strokes Of
the oars his boat smashed against the
rocks and he sprang against the cliff, Up!
small stones and slabs Of rock came tum-
bling down, loosened by him In his climb.
Up, up, without a moments pause or hesi-
tation, almost in reach Of safety, when the
rock, ever treacherous, gave way under his