It makes my spirit dance
To see thy friendly glance.
To see thy friendly glance.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v15 - Kab to Les
why do ye not ask forgiveness of God ?
haply ye
may obtain mercy. ” They said, “We have taken an augury
concerning thee and those who are with thee. " Said he,
Said he, Your
augury is in God's hands; nay, but ye are a people who are
tried! ”
And where there were in the city nine persons who despoiled
land and did not right: Said they, “Swear to each other by
God, we will surely fall upon him by night and on his people;
then we will surely say unto his next of kin, “We witnessed not
the destruction of his people, and we do surely tell the truth. ”
And they plotted a plot, and we plotted a plot, that we destroyed
them and their people altogether!
Thus are their homes overturned, for they were unjust; verily,
in that is a sign to people who do know!
But we saved thus who believed and did fear.
And Lot when he said to his people, "Do ye approach an
abominable sin while ye can see ? do ye indeed approach men
lustfully rather than women ? nay, ye are a people who are
ignorant. ” But the answer of his people was only to say, “Drive
out Lot's family from your city! verily, they are a folk who
would keep pure. ”
(
(
## p. 8723 (#339) ###########################################
THE KORAN
8723
Lipkan
an
But we saved him and his family except his wife; her we
destined to be of those who lingered: and we rained down upon
them rain, and evil was the rain to those who were warned.
Say, “Praise belongs to God; and peace be upon his servants
,
whom he has chosen! Is God best, or what they associate with
him ? » He who created the heavens and the earth; and sends
down upon you from the heaven water: and we cause to grow
therewith gardens fraught with beauty; ye could not cause the
trees thereof to grow! Is there a god with God? Nay, but they
are people who make peers with him! He who made the earth,
settled and placed amongst it rivers; and placed upon it firm
mountains; and placed between the two seas a barrier: is there
a god with God ? nay, but most of them know not! He who
answers the distressed when he calls upon him and removes the
evil; and makes you successors in the earth: is there a god with
God ? little is it that ye are mindful. He who guides you in the
darkness of the land and of the sea; and who sends winds as
glad tidings before his mercy: is there a god with God ? exalted
be God above what they associate with him. He who began the
creation and then will make it return again; and who provides
you from the heaven and the earth: is there a god with God ? so
bring your proofs if you do speak the truth!
Say, “None in the heavens or the earth know the unseen
save only God; but they perceived not when they shall be
raised! ” — nay, but their knowledge attains to somewhat of the
hereafter; nay, but they are in doubt concerning it! nay, but
they are blind!
And those who disbelieved said, “What! when we have be-
come dust and our fathers too, shall we indeed be brought for-
ward ? We were promised this, we and our fathers before us:
this is nothing but old folks' tales ! »
Say, "Journey on through the land and see how was the end
of the sinners! and grieve not for them, and be not straitened
at what they plot. ”
They say,
Say, “It may be that there is pressing close behind you a part
of what ye would hasten on! »
But verily, thy Lord is full of
grace to men, but most of them will not be thankful; and verily,
thy Lord knows what their breasts conceal and what they mani-
fest; and there is no secret thing in the heaven or earth, save
that it is in the perspicuous book!
cerning
said,
3
P
“When shall this treat be if ye do tell the truth ? "
at
## p. 8724 (#340) ###########################################
8724
THE KORAN
»
Verily, this Qur'an relates to the people of Israel most of
that whereon they do dispute; and verily, it is a guidance and a
mercy to the believers. Verily, thy Lord decides between them
by his judgment, for he is mighty, knowing. Rely thou then
upon God: verily, thou art standing upon obvious truth. Verily,
thou canst not make the dead hear, and thou canst not make
the deaf to hear the call when they turn their back on thee;
nor art thou a guide to the blind, out of their error: thou canst
only make to. hear such as believe in our signs, and such as are
resigned.
And when the sentence falls upon them, we will bring forth
a beast out of the earth that shall speak to them [and say] that
“Men of our signs would not be sure. ”
And the day when we will gather from every nation a troop
who said our signs were lies; and they shall be marshaled until
they come, and he will say, “Did ye say my signs were lies,
when ye had compassed no knowledge thereof? or what is it
that ye were doing ? ” and the sentence shall fall upon them for
what they did wrong, and they shall not have speech.
Did they not see that we have made the night for them
to rest in, and the day to see by? Verily, in that are signs to
believe who believe.
And the day when the trumpet shall be blown and all who
are in the heavens and earth shall be startled, save whom God
pleases! and all shall come abjectly to him. And thou shalt see
the mountains which thou dost deem solid, pass away like the
passing of the clouds; — the work of God who orders all things:
verily, he is well aware of what ye do!
He who brings a good deed shall have better than it; and
from the alarm of that day they shall be safe: but those who
bring an evil deed shall be thrown down upon their faces in the
fire. Shall ye be rewarded save for what ye have done?
I am bidden to serve the Lord of this country who has made
it sacred, and whose are all things; and I am bidden to be of
those who are resigned, and to recite the Qur'an: and he who is
guided, he is only guided for himself; and he who errs, say, “I
am only one of those who warn! ”
« Praise be to God, he will show you his signs, and
ye shall recognize them; for thy Lord is not heedless of what
And say,
ye do! »
## p. 8725 (#341) ###########################################
8725
KARL THEODOR KORNER
(1791-1813)
wory
NOBLER or more inspiring figure has appeared in literary
and martial annals than that of Theodor Körner, the youth-
ful hero and bard of the German wars for freedom. The
romantic melancholy which attaches to the memory of those who die
so young is in Körner's case enhanced by the brilliancy of his lit-
erary achievements, and by his glorious death on the field of battle
when he was not yet twenty-two. It would seem that the story of so
short a span might soon be told; but into the last two years of this
brief life were crowded a marvelous liter-
ary productivity and splendid martial deeds.
Under the inspiration of a great time, Kör-
ner's genius, enthralled at first by Kotze-
bue and then elevated by Schiller, rose
at last to independent heights, which have
given him a place among the great poets
of his native land.
Körner was born in Dresden, on Sep-
tember 23d, 1791. His father was Christian
Gottfried Körner; who, although he pro-
duced nothing himself, yet occupies a high
rank in the history of German literature.
He was for twenty years the intimate friend KARL T. KÖRNER
and adviser of Schiller; and the correspond-
ence between Goethe and Schiller shows the elder Körner to have
been a high-minded man of unusual intellectual powers. Thus under
home influences of the most favorable kind young Körner grew to
manhood. He studied at Freiburg and at Leipzig; obliged to leave
the latter university in consequence of a duel, he went to Berlin for
a brief time, and in 1811 to Vienna, where his remarkable career
may be said to have begun. A volume of immature poems had ap-
peared the year before under the modestly chosen title of Knospen?
(Buds); but in Vienna his genius seemed suddenly to expand into the
full flower. He enjoyed the friendship of Wilhelm von Humboldt
and Friedrich von Schlegel. His poet's soul received new inspiration
from the love of Antonie Adamberger, to whom he became engaged.
And now there came from his pen with astonishing rapidity, poems,
prose tales, comedies, and tragedies. His dramas won instant and
extraordinary success, and the poet found himself the centre of
## p. 8726 (#342) ###########################################
8726
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
admiration at the Austrian capital. He had scarcely attained his
majority when he was appointed poet of the Court Theatre. Of his
comedies, several still hold the stage. His serious dramas evince high
dramatic power and an unerring stage instinct, but they reveal also a
lack of knowledge of the world. His tragedies are entirely in the
rhetorical iambic style of Schiller, but they are filled with Schiller's
idealism and ardor for the noble and the good. The greatest of his
tragedies is 'Zriny,' and this play is still in the repertoire of all the
larger German theatres. This glowing presentation of the heroic
Hungarian general produced a profound effect, and brought to the
surface that fervor of patriotism which had already begun to do its
emancipating work in the oppressed lands of Germany.
But the final consecration of Körner's genius came with the sum-
mons of the Prussian king to rally to the liberation of the father-
land. With the fresh laurels of literary fame within his grasp, with
a life of love and happiness before him, Körner deliberately went to
die in his country's service, refusing to remain idly at home singing
of the heroic deeds of others. He joined the famous Lützow Free
Corps in 1813. Universally beloved by his comrades, he was elected
to a lieutenancy by their unanimous vote and became the adjutant of
the major. This enabled him to play a prominent part in the bold
enterprises of that dreaded company. It was during these thrilling
days that the martial and patriotic songs which make up the collec-
tion of 'Leier und Schwert' (Lyre and Sword) were composed. These,
with the airs to which Carl Maria von Weber set them, became a
powerful force in maintaining the martial spirit of Germany. In these
songs Körner's genius finds its highest expression; they are among
the most inspired patriotic utterances that German literature has to
show. A few hours before his death on August 26th, 1813, he com-
posed the fiery (Song of the Sword. ' He was reading it aloud in the
woods where the troop was stationed when the signal to advance
was given. The attack was begun, and near the village of Lützow
Körner fell mortally wounded. Only a few days later one of Körner's
friends, a noble and accomplished youth, rushed to his death in the
forefront of battle with the wordş, “Körner, I follow thee! ) This
was the spirit with which he inspired his comrades; and with this
same spirit his songs inspired the entire fatherland. Under an oak-
tree in the village of Wöbbelin he lies buried, and an iron monument
commemorates his twofold fame. Not his songs only, but the noble
example of his life has made Körner a fine inspirational force. It
was of him that Mrs. Hemans sang:-
“A song for the death day of the brave
A song of pride!
The youth went down to a hero's grave
With the sword his pride ! )
## p. 8727 (#343) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8727
MY NATIVE LAND
-
W***
HERE is the minstrel's native land ? —
Where sparks of noble soul flashed high,
Where garlands bloomed in Honor's eye,
Where manly bosoms glowed with joy,
Touched by Religion's altar brand,
There was my native land!
APELA
Name me th minstrel's native land. -
Though now her sons lie slain in heaps,
Though, wounded and disgraced, she weeps,
Beneath her soil the freeman sleeps.
The land of oaks — the German land-
They called my native land!
Why weeps the minstrel's native land ? -
To see her people's princes cower
Before the wrathful tyrant's power;
She weeps, that in the stormy hour
No soul at her high call will stand.
That grieves my native land!
Whom calls the minstrel's native land ? -
She calls the voiceless gods; her cries
Like thunder-storms assail the skies;
She bids her sons, her freemen, rise;
On righteous Heaven's avenging hand
She calls — my native land!
.
-
What will the minstrel's native land ? -
She'll crush the slaves of despot power,
Drive off the bloodhounds from her shore,
And suckle free-born sons once more,
Or lay them free beneath the sand:
That will my native land!
And hopes the minstrel's native land ? -
She hopes — she hopes! Her cause is just.
Her faithful sons will wake — they must.
In God Most High she puts her trust;
On his great altar leans her hand,
And hopes — my native land!
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
## p. 8728 (#344) ###########################################
8728
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
PRAYER DURING THE BATTLE
F
ATHER, I call on thee!
Clouds from the thunder-voiced cannon enveil me,
Lightnings are flashing, death's thick darts assail
me:
Ruler of battles, I call on thee!
Father, oh, lead thou me!
Father, oh, lead thou me!
Lead me to victory, or to death lead me;
With joy I accept what thou hast decreed me.
God, as thou wilt, so lead thou me!
God, I acknowledge thee!
God, I acknowledge thee!
Where, in still autumn, the sear leaf is falling,
Where peals the battle, its thunder appalling:
Fount of all grace, I acknowledge thee!
Father, oh, bless thou me!
Father, oh, bless thou me!
Into thy hand my soul I resign, Lord;
Deal as thou wilt with the life that is thine, Lord.
Living or dying, oh, bless thou me!
Father, I praise thy name!
Father, I praise thy name!
Not for earth's wealth or dominion contend we;
The holiest rights of the freeman defend we.
Victor or vanquished, praise I thee!
God, in thy name I trust!
God, in thy name I trust!
When in loud thunder my death-note is knelling,
When from my veins the red blood is welling,
God, in thy holy name I trust!
Father, I call on thee!
Translation of J. S. Blackie.
## p. 8729 (#345) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8729
SUMMONS
M
Y PEOPLE, wake! The signal-fires are smoking;
Bright breaks the light of Freedom from the north;
'Tis time thy steel in foemen's hearts was reeking.
My people, wake! The signal-fires are smoking;
The fields are white: ye reapers, hasten forth!
The last, the highest hope lies in the sword;
Home to thy bleeding breast their lances strain;
Make way for Freedom! Let thy blood be poured,
To cleanse thy German land from every stain.
Ours is no war of which crowned heads are dreaming;
'Tis a crusade, a holy war we wage!
Faith, virtue, conscience, truth, and honor mourn;
These has the tyrant from thy bosom torn;
Thy Freedom's victory saves them from his rage.
The moanings of thy aged cry, "Awake!
Thy homes in ashes curse the invading brood,
Thy daughters in disgrace for vengeance shriek,
The ghosts of slaughtered sons shriek wild for blood.
Gang
Break up the plowshare, let the chisel fall,
The lyre be hushed, the shuttle cease its play;
Forsake thy courts, leave giddy Pleasure's hall:
He in whose sight thy banners flutter, all,
Will see his people now in war's array.
For thou shalt build a mighty altar soon
In his eternal Freedom's morning sky;
With thy good sword shall every stone be hewn;
On heroes' graves the temple's base shall lie.
Ye maidens and ye wives, for whom the Lord
Of Hosts the dreadful sword hath never steeled,
When 'mid your spoilers’ ranks we gladly leap,
And bare our bosoms to the strife, why weep
That you may not stand forth on glory's field ? -
Before God's altar joyfully repair ;
The pangs of anxious love your wounds must be;
To you He gives, in every heartfelt prayer,
The spirit's pure and bloodless victory.
Then pray that God would wake the slumbering fire,
And rouse his old heroic race to life;
## p. 8730 (#346) ###########################################
8730
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
And oh, as stern avenging spirits, call
The buried German martyrs, one and all,
As holy angels of the holy strife!
Spirit of Ferdinand, lead thou the van!
Louisa, faithful to thy spouse, be nigh!
And all ye shades of German heroes, on,
With us, with us, where'er our banners fly!
The night of Heaven is with us; Hell must cower:
On, valiant people! on! 'Tis Freedom's cry!
Thy heart beats high, high up thy old oaks tower:
Heed not thy hills of slain in victory's hour;
Plant Freedom's banner there to float on high.
And now, my people, when thou standest free,
Robed in the brightness of thy old renown,
Let not the faithful dead forgotten be,
And place upon our urn the oaken crown!
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
LÜTZOW'S WILD CHASE
WHAT
HAT gleams from yon wood in the sunbeams' play?
Hark! hark! It sounds nearer and nearer;
It winds down the mountain in gloomy array,
And the blast of its trumpets is bringing dismay
To the soul of the manliest hearer.
Go, read it in each dark comrade's face-
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
»
What glances so swiftly through forest, o'er fell,
From mountain to mountain flying?
In ambush like midnight it lies in the dell;
The hurrah rings, and the rifle's knell
Proclaims the French beadles are dying.
Go, read it in each dark hunter's face —
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
Where the rich grapes glow and the Rhine waves roar,
The tyrant thought safely to hide him;
With the swiftness of lightning it flies to the shore.
Leaps in, and with sinewy arm swims o'er,
And springs to the bank beside him.
Go, read it in each dark swimmer's face-
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
## p. 8731 (#347) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8731
Why roars in yon valley the din of fight,
And broadswords tumultuously clashing ?
Stern horsemen are battling with dreadful delight,
And the live spark of liberty, wakeful and bright,
In bloody-red flames is fast flashing.
Go, read it in each dark horseman's face-
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
Lo, smiling farewell 'mid the foe's dying wail,
Who lies there with bare bosom streaming ?
Death lays his hand on that young brow, pale;
But never shall one of those true hearts quail,
For the star of their country is beaming.
Go, read it in each pale, marble face-
“That was Lützow's wild and desperate chase! »
The wild, wild chase, and the German chase
'Gainst hangmen and tyrants, is ended.
Come then, ye who love us, wipe tears from each face,
For the country is free, and the morn dawns apace,
Though our forms in the grave be extended.
Children's children shall cry, as our story they trace
« That was Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
iz LIDARI
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
SWORD SONG
S"
WORD, on my left side gleaming,
What means thy bright eye's beaming?
It makes my spirit dance
To see thy friendly glance.
Hurrah!
“A valiant rider bears me;
A freeborn German wears me:
That makes my eye so bright;
That is the sword's delight. ”
Hurrah!
Yes, good sword, I am free,
And love thee heartily,
And clasp thee to my side
E'en as a plighted bride.
Hurrah!
## p. 8732 (#348) ###########################################
8732
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
“And I to thee, by Heaven,
My light steel life have given:
When shall the knot be tied ?
When wilt thou take thy bride ? ?
Hurrah!
The trumpet's solemn warning
Shall hail the bridal morning.
When cannon-thunders wake,
Then my true love I take.
Hurrah!
«Oh, blessed, blessed meeting!
My heart is wildly beating:
Come, bridegroom, come for me;
My garland waiteth thee. ”
Hurrah!
Why, in the scabbard rattle,
So wild, so fierce for battle?
What means this restless glow ?
My sword, why clatter so?
Hurrah!
“Well may thy prisoner rattle;
My spirit yearns for battle:
Rider, 'tis war's wild glow
That makes me tremble so. ”
Hurrah!
Stay in thy chamber near,
My love: what wilt thou here?
Still in thy chamber bide:
Soon, soon I take my bride.
Hurrah!
“Let me not longer wait:
Love's garden blooms in state
With roses bloody-red,
And many a bright death-bed. ”
Hurrah!
Now, then, come forth, my bride;
Come forth, thou rider's pride!
Come out, my good sword, come,
Forth to thy father's home!
Hurrah!
## p. 8733 (#349) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8733
1
«Oh, in the field to prance
The glorious wedding dance!
How in the sun's bright beams,
Bride-like the clear steel gleams! »
Hurrah!
Then forward, valiant fighters!
And forward, German riders!
And when the heart grows cold,
Let each his love enfold.
Hurrah !
Once on the left it hung,
And stolen glances flung;
Now clearly on your right
Doth God each fond bride plight.
Hurrah !
Then let your hot lips feel
That virgin cheek of steel;
One kiss — and woe betide
Him who forsakes the bride.
Hurrah!
Now let the loved one sing;
Now let the clear blade ring,
Till the bright sparks shall ily,
Heralds of victory!
Hurrah!
For hark! the trumpet's warning
Proclaims the marriage morning :
It dawns in festal pride;
Hurrah, thou Iron Bride!
Hurrah !
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
## p. 8734 (#350) ###########################################
8734
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
THE THREE STARS
T".
HERE are three cheering stars of light
O'er life's dark path that shine;
And these fair orbs, so pure and bright,
Are song, and love, and wine!
For oh! the soul of song hath power
To charm the feeling heart,
To soothe the mourner's sternest hour,
And bid his griefs depart!
And wine can lend to song its mirth,
Can joys unwonted bring,
And paint this fair and lovely earth
In charms of deathless spring.
But thou, O love! of all the throng
Art fairest seen to shine;
For thou canst soothe the soul like song,
And cheer the heart like wine!
Then deign, fair orbs! to shed your ray
Along my path of gloom,
To guide me through life's lonely way,
And shine upon my tomb!
For oh! the song, the cup, the kiss
Can make the night divine;
Then blest be he who found the bliss
Of song, and love, and wine!
Translation of G. F. Richardson.
## p. 8735 (#351) ###########################################
8735
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
(1812-1859)
RASINSKI was one of the three great poets of Poland through
whom the spirit of the submerged commonwealth found its
fullest expression. The golden age of Poland's literature
was coincident with the period of her deepest political humiliation,
and every Polish poet was a Polish patriot. It was a literature of
emigrants and exiles who found their poetic inspiration, and the main-
spring of all endeavor, in the love of country and the hope of see-
ing her restored to her ancient greatness. In the trio of poets who
represent this age Mickiewicz stands first,
and by his side the Dioscuri Slowacki and
Krasinski. Krasinski's position was a pecul-
iar and difficult one. He was the heir of
an old aristocratic family; his mother was
a princess of the house of Radziwill, and
he was brought up in the midst of feudal
traditions. In his breast burned the purest
patriotic fire, and merely to possess his
works exposed a man to Siberia or death;
and yet he was the only one of all the
patriot poets that taught the philosophy
of non-resistance and self-abnegation. With
serene confidence he left the future in the SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
hands of eternal justice, and insisted that
the moral regeneration of Poland must precede her political re-estab-
lishment. In all his works this note of lofty morality is struck, and
Christianity is put forward as the only reconciling power between
conflicting forces.
Sigismund Krasinski was born at Paris on February 19th, 1812.
His father, Count Vincent Krasinski, was an adjutant of Napoleon's:
when the hopes of Poland were shattered by the abdication of the
Emperor, Krasinski, acting under orders from the Czar, returned with
his family to Warsaw. Their home was the centre to which flocked
all the eminent men in literary and political life. In this circle
young Krasinski grew up, and the most loving care was bestowed
upon his education. At the age of fourteen he wrote two novels in
the style of his favorite author, Walter Scott; but his literary ambi-
tion was not encouraged, and he was destined for the law.
## p. 8736 (#352) ###########################################
8736
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
>
It was about this time that the crisis came which affected his
whole career. The leaders who in 1825 conspired against the Rus-
sian government were brought to trial in Warsaw; and from all
quarters of Europe the Polish members of the high tribunal hastened
to the capital to give their votes for their compatriots. Count
Krasinski was the only Pole that cast a vote in the Russian interest.
The relations between father and son remained cordial, and the poet
lived to see his father's appointment to the governorship of Poland
received with approbation by his countrymen; but from the ignominy
of his father's act he never recovered. His only reference to it is
in the touching appeal to Poland with which his weird vision entitled
(Temptation ends. Krasinski's works were all published anony-
mously or under assumed names; and it was years before the admir-
ing people learned the true name of the inspired teacher whom they
revered as “the anonymous poet of Poland. ”
Krasinski's frail state of health made long residence in the rigor-
ous climate of his native land impossible, even had the political con-
ditions been less unhappy. At Geneva in 1830 he met Mickiewicz,
who exerted a powerful influence upon his genius, and turned his
mind to poetry. In 1833 appeared his first poetic tale, Agay Han';
and in the same year in Rome he wrote one of his greatest works,
Nieboska Komedya' (The Undivine Comedy). It is a symbolic poem
in the dramatic form, and deals with the loftiest themes of social
and spiritual life: the deviation from the path of plain duty in pur-
suit of a phantom ideal; the conflict between the old world of aris-
tocracy and the new world of democracy, the futility of the triumph
of one over the other; the ultimate salvation wrought by Christianity,
through which reconciliation comes. The old aristocracy with its
spiritual ideals is represented by Count Henry; the aims and inspi-
rations of the materialized democracy are embodied in the character
of Pancras. The monologue in which for a moment Pancras doubts
the genuineness of his mission has been pronounced by Mickiewicz
one of the great soliloquies of the world's literature.
In this poem
Krasinski's philosophy is brought before us in concrete forms, with
sublime imagery and an insight into the future almost apocalyptic.
It is said that after the disasters of 1846 Krasinski exclaimed, “Ah!
why was I not a false prophet ? ”
The work which is regarded as the poet's highest achievement is ·
the half epic, half dramatic poem, Iridion. It was written likewise
in Rome and published in 1836. In glowing colors are contrasted the
degeneracy of Rome under the Cæsars and the enthusiastic patriotisın
of the Greeks who are plotting to avenge subjugated Hellas. In con-
ception and execution is displayed the same exalted originality tiiat
distinguished "The Undivine Comedy. ' The solution also is the same:
## p. 8737 (#353) ###########################################
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
8737
Rome is pagan and the Greeks disregard Christianity, through which
alone their salvation can be wrought. Poland is always before the
poet's eye, and the application to her case is obvious. Krasinski was
no lover of art for art's sake; poetry must have a living purpose, and
in this spirit the Invocation to the Muse was written which opens
(The Undivine Comedy): «Thou ruinest wholly those who consecrate
themselves, with all they are, to thee alone, who solely live the voices
of thy glory. ”
Krasinski also wrote several prose works of a symbolic character,
but the prose is dithyrambic and impassioned. Pokusa' (Temptation)
has already been mentioned: a strange vision of grief and hope with
passages of thrilling power. Noc Letnia' (Summer Night) appeared
in the same year, 1841. In 1843 Krasinski returned to verse; and in
a series of beautiful canzone entitled Przedswit' (The Dawn) he
sang the praises of the moral elements of the Polish past, and again
proclaimed the necessity of reviving them. In the three famous
(Psalms of the Future (1845 and 1848) Krasinski glorified the heroism
of self-sacrifice and martyrdom. It was this that called forth the vio-
lent opposition of Slowacki and of the more ardent but less astute
patriots. Slowacki denounced the Psalms) as “lyric cowardice);
but Krasinski's teachings sank deep into the heart of his distressed
countrymen. The strange scene which took place at Warsaw in 1861
was typical of his influence. Infuriated by the sight of an unfurled
Polish banner, the Russian troops fired upon the populace; and the
Polish women and children and unarmed men bared their breasts to
the bullets in a frenzy of patriotic self-sacrifice. It has been said of
Krasinski that «he modified the character of an entire people. ”
He died in Paris on February 23d, 1859; and with him was extin-
guished the last star in the triad of great Polish poets.
___
(All the following selections are made from «The Undivine Comedy, and Other
Poems. Translated by Martha Walker Cook. Copyrighted 1875, by
J. B. Lippincott & Co. ]
INVOCATION
To POETRY
From «The Undivine Comedy)
TARS circle round thy head; and at thy feet
S,
A rainbow glides before thee, cleaving the clouds!
Whate'er thou look'st upon is thine! Coasts, ships,
Men, mountains, cities, all belong to thee!
XV-547
## p. 8738 (#354) ###########################################
8738
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
Master of Heaven as earth, it seems as naught
Could equal thee in glory!
-
To ears which heed thy lays, thou givest joys,
Raptures ineffable! Thou weavest hearts
Together, then untwin'st them like a wreath,
As wild caprice may guide thy flame-lit fingers!
Thou forcest tears, then driest them with a smile;
Thou scar'st away the smile from paling lips,
Perhaps but for a moment, a few hours,
Perhaps for evermore!
But thou ! - What dost thou feel, and what create ?
A living stream of beauty flows through thee,
But Beauty thou art not! woe, woe, to thee!
The weeping child upon its mother's breast,
The field-flower knowing not its perfumed gift,
More merit have before the Lord than thou!
Whence com'st thou, fleeting shadow ? to the Light
Still bearing witness, though thou know'st it not,
Hast never seen it, nor wilt ever see!
In anger or in mockery wert thou made ?
So full of self-deceit that thou canst play
The angel to the moment when thou fall'st,
And crawlest like a reptile upon earth,
Stifled in mud, or feeding upon dust!
Thou and the woman have like origin!
Alas! thou sufferest too, although thy pangs
Bring naught to birth, nothing create, nor serve!
The groans of the unfortunate are weighed;
The lowest beggar's sighs counted in heaven,
Gathered and sung upon celestial harps:
But thy despair and sighs fall to the earth,
Where Satan gathers them; adds them with joy
To his own lies, illusions, mockeries!
The Lord will yet disown them, as they have
Ever disowned the Lord!
Not that I rise against thee, Poetry,-
Mother of Beauty, of ideal Life!
But I must pity him condemned to dwell
Within the limits of these whirling worlds,
In dying agonies, or yet to be
Doomed to sad memories, or prophecies,
Perchance remorse, or vague presentiments,–
## p. 8739 (#355) ###########################################
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
8739
1
Who gives himself to thee! for everywhere
Thou ruinest wholly those who consecrate
Themselves, with all they are, to thee alone,
Who solely live the voices of thy glory!
Blessed is he in whom thou mak'st thy home,
As God dwelt in the world, concealed, unknown,
But grand and mighty in each separate part:
The unseen God, before whom creatures bow,
And kneeling cry, “Behold Him! He is here ! »
A guiding star, he bears thee on his brow,
And no unfaithful word will sever him
From thy true love! He will love men, and be
A man himself, encircled by his brothers!
From him who keeps not with thee perfect faith,
Betrays thee to the hour, or his own needs,
Devotes thee to man's perishable joys,
Painting the sensual with thy hues divine,
Thou turn'st away thy face, while scattering
Perchance upon his brow some fading flowers,
Of which he strives to twine a funeral crown,
Spending his life to weave a wreath of death!
He and the woman have one origin!
Translation of Martha Walker Cook
izá vipaa
PANCRAS'S MONOLOGUE
21
From The Undivine Comedy)
>
WY
Hy does the boldness of this haughty Count
Still trouble me? Me, ruler of the millions !
Compared with mine, his force is but a shadow.
'Tis true, indeed, some hundreds of his serfs
Cling round him, as the dog stays by his master
In trusting confidence. That is sheer folly! . .
But why do I so long to see this Count,
To subjugate him, win him to our side ?
Has my clear spirit for the first time met
An equal ? Does he bar its onward fight?
Arrest it in its full development ?
The only obstacle before me now
Is his resistance: that I must o'ercome!
And then . . . and afterwards . . . and then . . .
## p. 8740 (#356) ###########################################
8740
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
O cunning intellect, canst thou deceive
Thyself as thou dost others ? . . . Canst not ? - No? . . .
O wretchedness! . . . Why dost thou doubt thyself?
Shame! . . . thou shouldst know thy power! Thou art
the thought,
The reason of the people; Sovereign Lord!
Thou canst control the millions, make their wills,
With all their giant forces, one with thine!
The might of All incarnate is in thee;
Thou art authority and government!
What would be crime in others, is in thee
Glory and fame! Thou givest name and place
To men unknown; a voice, a faith to brutes
Almost deprived of mental, moral worth !
In thine own image thou hast made a world,
An age created, - art thyself its god!
And yet thou hesitatest,- doubt'st thyself ?
may obtain mercy. ” They said, “We have taken an augury
concerning thee and those who are with thee. " Said he,
Said he, Your
augury is in God's hands; nay, but ye are a people who are
tried! ”
And where there were in the city nine persons who despoiled
land and did not right: Said they, “Swear to each other by
God, we will surely fall upon him by night and on his people;
then we will surely say unto his next of kin, “We witnessed not
the destruction of his people, and we do surely tell the truth. ”
And they plotted a plot, and we plotted a plot, that we destroyed
them and their people altogether!
Thus are their homes overturned, for they were unjust; verily,
in that is a sign to people who do know!
But we saved thus who believed and did fear.
And Lot when he said to his people, "Do ye approach an
abominable sin while ye can see ? do ye indeed approach men
lustfully rather than women ? nay, ye are a people who are
ignorant. ” But the answer of his people was only to say, “Drive
out Lot's family from your city! verily, they are a folk who
would keep pure. ”
(
(
## p. 8723 (#339) ###########################################
THE KORAN
8723
Lipkan
an
But we saved him and his family except his wife; her we
destined to be of those who lingered: and we rained down upon
them rain, and evil was the rain to those who were warned.
Say, “Praise belongs to God; and peace be upon his servants
,
whom he has chosen! Is God best, or what they associate with
him ? » He who created the heavens and the earth; and sends
down upon you from the heaven water: and we cause to grow
therewith gardens fraught with beauty; ye could not cause the
trees thereof to grow! Is there a god with God? Nay, but they
are people who make peers with him! He who made the earth,
settled and placed amongst it rivers; and placed upon it firm
mountains; and placed between the two seas a barrier: is there
a god with God ? nay, but most of them know not! He who
answers the distressed when he calls upon him and removes the
evil; and makes you successors in the earth: is there a god with
God ? little is it that ye are mindful. He who guides you in the
darkness of the land and of the sea; and who sends winds as
glad tidings before his mercy: is there a god with God ? exalted
be God above what they associate with him. He who began the
creation and then will make it return again; and who provides
you from the heaven and the earth: is there a god with God ? so
bring your proofs if you do speak the truth!
Say, “None in the heavens or the earth know the unseen
save only God; but they perceived not when they shall be
raised! ” — nay, but their knowledge attains to somewhat of the
hereafter; nay, but they are in doubt concerning it! nay, but
they are blind!
And those who disbelieved said, “What! when we have be-
come dust and our fathers too, shall we indeed be brought for-
ward ? We were promised this, we and our fathers before us:
this is nothing but old folks' tales ! »
Say, "Journey on through the land and see how was the end
of the sinners! and grieve not for them, and be not straitened
at what they plot. ”
They say,
Say, “It may be that there is pressing close behind you a part
of what ye would hasten on! »
But verily, thy Lord is full of
grace to men, but most of them will not be thankful; and verily,
thy Lord knows what their breasts conceal and what they mani-
fest; and there is no secret thing in the heaven or earth, save
that it is in the perspicuous book!
cerning
said,
3
P
“When shall this treat be if ye do tell the truth ? "
at
## p. 8724 (#340) ###########################################
8724
THE KORAN
»
Verily, this Qur'an relates to the people of Israel most of
that whereon they do dispute; and verily, it is a guidance and a
mercy to the believers. Verily, thy Lord decides between them
by his judgment, for he is mighty, knowing. Rely thou then
upon God: verily, thou art standing upon obvious truth. Verily,
thou canst not make the dead hear, and thou canst not make
the deaf to hear the call when they turn their back on thee;
nor art thou a guide to the blind, out of their error: thou canst
only make to. hear such as believe in our signs, and such as are
resigned.
And when the sentence falls upon them, we will bring forth
a beast out of the earth that shall speak to them [and say] that
“Men of our signs would not be sure. ”
And the day when we will gather from every nation a troop
who said our signs were lies; and they shall be marshaled until
they come, and he will say, “Did ye say my signs were lies,
when ye had compassed no knowledge thereof? or what is it
that ye were doing ? ” and the sentence shall fall upon them for
what they did wrong, and they shall not have speech.
Did they not see that we have made the night for them
to rest in, and the day to see by? Verily, in that are signs to
believe who believe.
And the day when the trumpet shall be blown and all who
are in the heavens and earth shall be startled, save whom God
pleases! and all shall come abjectly to him. And thou shalt see
the mountains which thou dost deem solid, pass away like the
passing of the clouds; — the work of God who orders all things:
verily, he is well aware of what ye do!
He who brings a good deed shall have better than it; and
from the alarm of that day they shall be safe: but those who
bring an evil deed shall be thrown down upon their faces in the
fire. Shall ye be rewarded save for what ye have done?
I am bidden to serve the Lord of this country who has made
it sacred, and whose are all things; and I am bidden to be of
those who are resigned, and to recite the Qur'an: and he who is
guided, he is only guided for himself; and he who errs, say, “I
am only one of those who warn! ”
« Praise be to God, he will show you his signs, and
ye shall recognize them; for thy Lord is not heedless of what
And say,
ye do! »
## p. 8725 (#341) ###########################################
8725
KARL THEODOR KORNER
(1791-1813)
wory
NOBLER or more inspiring figure has appeared in literary
and martial annals than that of Theodor Körner, the youth-
ful hero and bard of the German wars for freedom. The
romantic melancholy which attaches to the memory of those who die
so young is in Körner's case enhanced by the brilliancy of his lit-
erary achievements, and by his glorious death on the field of battle
when he was not yet twenty-two. It would seem that the story of so
short a span might soon be told; but into the last two years of this
brief life were crowded a marvelous liter-
ary productivity and splendid martial deeds.
Under the inspiration of a great time, Kör-
ner's genius, enthralled at first by Kotze-
bue and then elevated by Schiller, rose
at last to independent heights, which have
given him a place among the great poets
of his native land.
Körner was born in Dresden, on Sep-
tember 23d, 1791. His father was Christian
Gottfried Körner; who, although he pro-
duced nothing himself, yet occupies a high
rank in the history of German literature.
He was for twenty years the intimate friend KARL T. KÖRNER
and adviser of Schiller; and the correspond-
ence between Goethe and Schiller shows the elder Körner to have
been a high-minded man of unusual intellectual powers. Thus under
home influences of the most favorable kind young Körner grew to
manhood. He studied at Freiburg and at Leipzig; obliged to leave
the latter university in consequence of a duel, he went to Berlin for
a brief time, and in 1811 to Vienna, where his remarkable career
may be said to have begun. A volume of immature poems had ap-
peared the year before under the modestly chosen title of Knospen?
(Buds); but in Vienna his genius seemed suddenly to expand into the
full flower. He enjoyed the friendship of Wilhelm von Humboldt
and Friedrich von Schlegel. His poet's soul received new inspiration
from the love of Antonie Adamberger, to whom he became engaged.
And now there came from his pen with astonishing rapidity, poems,
prose tales, comedies, and tragedies. His dramas won instant and
extraordinary success, and the poet found himself the centre of
## p. 8726 (#342) ###########################################
8726
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
admiration at the Austrian capital. He had scarcely attained his
majority when he was appointed poet of the Court Theatre. Of his
comedies, several still hold the stage. His serious dramas evince high
dramatic power and an unerring stage instinct, but they reveal also a
lack of knowledge of the world. His tragedies are entirely in the
rhetorical iambic style of Schiller, but they are filled with Schiller's
idealism and ardor for the noble and the good. The greatest of his
tragedies is 'Zriny,' and this play is still in the repertoire of all the
larger German theatres. This glowing presentation of the heroic
Hungarian general produced a profound effect, and brought to the
surface that fervor of patriotism which had already begun to do its
emancipating work in the oppressed lands of Germany.
But the final consecration of Körner's genius came with the sum-
mons of the Prussian king to rally to the liberation of the father-
land. With the fresh laurels of literary fame within his grasp, with
a life of love and happiness before him, Körner deliberately went to
die in his country's service, refusing to remain idly at home singing
of the heroic deeds of others. He joined the famous Lützow Free
Corps in 1813. Universally beloved by his comrades, he was elected
to a lieutenancy by their unanimous vote and became the adjutant of
the major. This enabled him to play a prominent part in the bold
enterprises of that dreaded company. It was during these thrilling
days that the martial and patriotic songs which make up the collec-
tion of 'Leier und Schwert' (Lyre and Sword) were composed. These,
with the airs to which Carl Maria von Weber set them, became a
powerful force in maintaining the martial spirit of Germany. In these
songs Körner's genius finds its highest expression; they are among
the most inspired patriotic utterances that German literature has to
show. A few hours before his death on August 26th, 1813, he com-
posed the fiery (Song of the Sword. ' He was reading it aloud in the
woods where the troop was stationed when the signal to advance
was given. The attack was begun, and near the village of Lützow
Körner fell mortally wounded. Only a few days later one of Körner's
friends, a noble and accomplished youth, rushed to his death in the
forefront of battle with the wordş, “Körner, I follow thee! ) This
was the spirit with which he inspired his comrades; and with this
same spirit his songs inspired the entire fatherland. Under an oak-
tree in the village of Wöbbelin he lies buried, and an iron monument
commemorates his twofold fame. Not his songs only, but the noble
example of his life has made Körner a fine inspirational force. It
was of him that Mrs. Hemans sang:-
“A song for the death day of the brave
A song of pride!
The youth went down to a hero's grave
With the sword his pride ! )
## p. 8727 (#343) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8727
MY NATIVE LAND
-
W***
HERE is the minstrel's native land ? —
Where sparks of noble soul flashed high,
Where garlands bloomed in Honor's eye,
Where manly bosoms glowed with joy,
Touched by Religion's altar brand,
There was my native land!
APELA
Name me th minstrel's native land. -
Though now her sons lie slain in heaps,
Though, wounded and disgraced, she weeps,
Beneath her soil the freeman sleeps.
The land of oaks — the German land-
They called my native land!
Why weeps the minstrel's native land ? -
To see her people's princes cower
Before the wrathful tyrant's power;
She weeps, that in the stormy hour
No soul at her high call will stand.
That grieves my native land!
Whom calls the minstrel's native land ? -
She calls the voiceless gods; her cries
Like thunder-storms assail the skies;
She bids her sons, her freemen, rise;
On righteous Heaven's avenging hand
She calls — my native land!
.
-
What will the minstrel's native land ? -
She'll crush the slaves of despot power,
Drive off the bloodhounds from her shore,
And suckle free-born sons once more,
Or lay them free beneath the sand:
That will my native land!
And hopes the minstrel's native land ? -
She hopes — she hopes! Her cause is just.
Her faithful sons will wake — they must.
In God Most High she puts her trust;
On his great altar leans her hand,
And hopes — my native land!
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
## p. 8728 (#344) ###########################################
8728
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
PRAYER DURING THE BATTLE
F
ATHER, I call on thee!
Clouds from the thunder-voiced cannon enveil me,
Lightnings are flashing, death's thick darts assail
me:
Ruler of battles, I call on thee!
Father, oh, lead thou me!
Father, oh, lead thou me!
Lead me to victory, or to death lead me;
With joy I accept what thou hast decreed me.
God, as thou wilt, so lead thou me!
God, I acknowledge thee!
God, I acknowledge thee!
Where, in still autumn, the sear leaf is falling,
Where peals the battle, its thunder appalling:
Fount of all grace, I acknowledge thee!
Father, oh, bless thou me!
Father, oh, bless thou me!
Into thy hand my soul I resign, Lord;
Deal as thou wilt with the life that is thine, Lord.
Living or dying, oh, bless thou me!
Father, I praise thy name!
Father, I praise thy name!
Not for earth's wealth or dominion contend we;
The holiest rights of the freeman defend we.
Victor or vanquished, praise I thee!
God, in thy name I trust!
God, in thy name I trust!
When in loud thunder my death-note is knelling,
When from my veins the red blood is welling,
God, in thy holy name I trust!
Father, I call on thee!
Translation of J. S. Blackie.
## p. 8729 (#345) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8729
SUMMONS
M
Y PEOPLE, wake! The signal-fires are smoking;
Bright breaks the light of Freedom from the north;
'Tis time thy steel in foemen's hearts was reeking.
My people, wake! The signal-fires are smoking;
The fields are white: ye reapers, hasten forth!
The last, the highest hope lies in the sword;
Home to thy bleeding breast their lances strain;
Make way for Freedom! Let thy blood be poured,
To cleanse thy German land from every stain.
Ours is no war of which crowned heads are dreaming;
'Tis a crusade, a holy war we wage!
Faith, virtue, conscience, truth, and honor mourn;
These has the tyrant from thy bosom torn;
Thy Freedom's victory saves them from his rage.
The moanings of thy aged cry, "Awake!
Thy homes in ashes curse the invading brood,
Thy daughters in disgrace for vengeance shriek,
The ghosts of slaughtered sons shriek wild for blood.
Gang
Break up the plowshare, let the chisel fall,
The lyre be hushed, the shuttle cease its play;
Forsake thy courts, leave giddy Pleasure's hall:
He in whose sight thy banners flutter, all,
Will see his people now in war's array.
For thou shalt build a mighty altar soon
In his eternal Freedom's morning sky;
With thy good sword shall every stone be hewn;
On heroes' graves the temple's base shall lie.
Ye maidens and ye wives, for whom the Lord
Of Hosts the dreadful sword hath never steeled,
When 'mid your spoilers’ ranks we gladly leap,
And bare our bosoms to the strife, why weep
That you may not stand forth on glory's field ? -
Before God's altar joyfully repair ;
The pangs of anxious love your wounds must be;
To you He gives, in every heartfelt prayer,
The spirit's pure and bloodless victory.
Then pray that God would wake the slumbering fire,
And rouse his old heroic race to life;
## p. 8730 (#346) ###########################################
8730
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
And oh, as stern avenging spirits, call
The buried German martyrs, one and all,
As holy angels of the holy strife!
Spirit of Ferdinand, lead thou the van!
Louisa, faithful to thy spouse, be nigh!
And all ye shades of German heroes, on,
With us, with us, where'er our banners fly!
The night of Heaven is with us; Hell must cower:
On, valiant people! on! 'Tis Freedom's cry!
Thy heart beats high, high up thy old oaks tower:
Heed not thy hills of slain in victory's hour;
Plant Freedom's banner there to float on high.
And now, my people, when thou standest free,
Robed in the brightness of thy old renown,
Let not the faithful dead forgotten be,
And place upon our urn the oaken crown!
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
LÜTZOW'S WILD CHASE
WHAT
HAT gleams from yon wood in the sunbeams' play?
Hark! hark! It sounds nearer and nearer;
It winds down the mountain in gloomy array,
And the blast of its trumpets is bringing dismay
To the soul of the manliest hearer.
Go, read it in each dark comrade's face-
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
»
What glances so swiftly through forest, o'er fell,
From mountain to mountain flying?
In ambush like midnight it lies in the dell;
The hurrah rings, and the rifle's knell
Proclaims the French beadles are dying.
Go, read it in each dark hunter's face —
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
Where the rich grapes glow and the Rhine waves roar,
The tyrant thought safely to hide him;
With the swiftness of lightning it flies to the shore.
Leaps in, and with sinewy arm swims o'er,
And springs to the bank beside him.
Go, read it in each dark swimmer's face-
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
## p. 8731 (#347) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8731
Why roars in yon valley the din of fight,
And broadswords tumultuously clashing ?
Stern horsemen are battling with dreadful delight,
And the live spark of liberty, wakeful and bright,
In bloody-red flames is fast flashing.
Go, read it in each dark horseman's face-
« That is Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
Lo, smiling farewell 'mid the foe's dying wail,
Who lies there with bare bosom streaming ?
Death lays his hand on that young brow, pale;
But never shall one of those true hearts quail,
For the star of their country is beaming.
Go, read it in each pale, marble face-
“That was Lützow's wild and desperate chase! »
The wild, wild chase, and the German chase
'Gainst hangmen and tyrants, is ended.
Come then, ye who love us, wipe tears from each face,
For the country is free, and the morn dawns apace,
Though our forms in the grave be extended.
Children's children shall cry, as our story they trace
« That was Lützow's wild and desperate chase. ”
iz LIDARI
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
SWORD SONG
S"
WORD, on my left side gleaming,
What means thy bright eye's beaming?
It makes my spirit dance
To see thy friendly glance.
Hurrah!
“A valiant rider bears me;
A freeborn German wears me:
That makes my eye so bright;
That is the sword's delight. ”
Hurrah!
Yes, good sword, I am free,
And love thee heartily,
And clasp thee to my side
E'en as a plighted bride.
Hurrah!
## p. 8732 (#348) ###########################################
8732
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
“And I to thee, by Heaven,
My light steel life have given:
When shall the knot be tied ?
When wilt thou take thy bride ? ?
Hurrah!
The trumpet's solemn warning
Shall hail the bridal morning.
When cannon-thunders wake,
Then my true love I take.
Hurrah!
«Oh, blessed, blessed meeting!
My heart is wildly beating:
Come, bridegroom, come for me;
My garland waiteth thee. ”
Hurrah!
Why, in the scabbard rattle,
So wild, so fierce for battle?
What means this restless glow ?
My sword, why clatter so?
Hurrah!
“Well may thy prisoner rattle;
My spirit yearns for battle:
Rider, 'tis war's wild glow
That makes me tremble so. ”
Hurrah!
Stay in thy chamber near,
My love: what wilt thou here?
Still in thy chamber bide:
Soon, soon I take my bride.
Hurrah!
“Let me not longer wait:
Love's garden blooms in state
With roses bloody-red,
And many a bright death-bed. ”
Hurrah!
Now, then, come forth, my bride;
Come forth, thou rider's pride!
Come out, my good sword, come,
Forth to thy father's home!
Hurrah!
## p. 8733 (#349) ###########################################
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
8733
1
«Oh, in the field to prance
The glorious wedding dance!
How in the sun's bright beams,
Bride-like the clear steel gleams! »
Hurrah!
Then forward, valiant fighters!
And forward, German riders!
And when the heart grows cold,
Let each his love enfold.
Hurrah !
Once on the left it hung,
And stolen glances flung;
Now clearly on your right
Doth God each fond bride plight.
Hurrah !
Then let your hot lips feel
That virgin cheek of steel;
One kiss — and woe betide
Him who forsakes the bride.
Hurrah!
Now let the loved one sing;
Now let the clear blade ring,
Till the bright sparks shall ily,
Heralds of victory!
Hurrah!
For hark! the trumpet's warning
Proclaims the marriage morning :
It dawns in festal pride;
Hurrah, thou Iron Bride!
Hurrah !
Translation of C. T. Brooks.
## p. 8734 (#350) ###########################################
8734
KARL THEODOR KÖRNER
THE THREE STARS
T".
HERE are three cheering stars of light
O'er life's dark path that shine;
And these fair orbs, so pure and bright,
Are song, and love, and wine!
For oh! the soul of song hath power
To charm the feeling heart,
To soothe the mourner's sternest hour,
And bid his griefs depart!
And wine can lend to song its mirth,
Can joys unwonted bring,
And paint this fair and lovely earth
In charms of deathless spring.
But thou, O love! of all the throng
Art fairest seen to shine;
For thou canst soothe the soul like song,
And cheer the heart like wine!
Then deign, fair orbs! to shed your ray
Along my path of gloom,
To guide me through life's lonely way,
And shine upon my tomb!
For oh! the song, the cup, the kiss
Can make the night divine;
Then blest be he who found the bliss
Of song, and love, and wine!
Translation of G. F. Richardson.
## p. 8735 (#351) ###########################################
8735
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
(1812-1859)
RASINSKI was one of the three great poets of Poland through
whom the spirit of the submerged commonwealth found its
fullest expression. The golden age of Poland's literature
was coincident with the period of her deepest political humiliation,
and every Polish poet was a Polish patriot. It was a literature of
emigrants and exiles who found their poetic inspiration, and the main-
spring of all endeavor, in the love of country and the hope of see-
ing her restored to her ancient greatness. In the trio of poets who
represent this age Mickiewicz stands first,
and by his side the Dioscuri Slowacki and
Krasinski. Krasinski's position was a pecul-
iar and difficult one. He was the heir of
an old aristocratic family; his mother was
a princess of the house of Radziwill, and
he was brought up in the midst of feudal
traditions. In his breast burned the purest
patriotic fire, and merely to possess his
works exposed a man to Siberia or death;
and yet he was the only one of all the
patriot poets that taught the philosophy
of non-resistance and self-abnegation. With
serene confidence he left the future in the SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
hands of eternal justice, and insisted that
the moral regeneration of Poland must precede her political re-estab-
lishment. In all his works this note of lofty morality is struck, and
Christianity is put forward as the only reconciling power between
conflicting forces.
Sigismund Krasinski was born at Paris on February 19th, 1812.
His father, Count Vincent Krasinski, was an adjutant of Napoleon's:
when the hopes of Poland were shattered by the abdication of the
Emperor, Krasinski, acting under orders from the Czar, returned with
his family to Warsaw. Their home was the centre to which flocked
all the eminent men in literary and political life. In this circle
young Krasinski grew up, and the most loving care was bestowed
upon his education. At the age of fourteen he wrote two novels in
the style of his favorite author, Walter Scott; but his literary ambi-
tion was not encouraged, and he was destined for the law.
## p. 8736 (#352) ###########################################
8736
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
>
It was about this time that the crisis came which affected his
whole career. The leaders who in 1825 conspired against the Rus-
sian government were brought to trial in Warsaw; and from all
quarters of Europe the Polish members of the high tribunal hastened
to the capital to give their votes for their compatriots. Count
Krasinski was the only Pole that cast a vote in the Russian interest.
The relations between father and son remained cordial, and the poet
lived to see his father's appointment to the governorship of Poland
received with approbation by his countrymen; but from the ignominy
of his father's act he never recovered. His only reference to it is
in the touching appeal to Poland with which his weird vision entitled
(Temptation ends. Krasinski's works were all published anony-
mously or under assumed names; and it was years before the admir-
ing people learned the true name of the inspired teacher whom they
revered as “the anonymous poet of Poland. ”
Krasinski's frail state of health made long residence in the rigor-
ous climate of his native land impossible, even had the political con-
ditions been less unhappy. At Geneva in 1830 he met Mickiewicz,
who exerted a powerful influence upon his genius, and turned his
mind to poetry. In 1833 appeared his first poetic tale, Agay Han';
and in the same year in Rome he wrote one of his greatest works,
Nieboska Komedya' (The Undivine Comedy). It is a symbolic poem
in the dramatic form, and deals with the loftiest themes of social
and spiritual life: the deviation from the path of plain duty in pur-
suit of a phantom ideal; the conflict between the old world of aris-
tocracy and the new world of democracy, the futility of the triumph
of one over the other; the ultimate salvation wrought by Christianity,
through which reconciliation comes. The old aristocracy with its
spiritual ideals is represented by Count Henry; the aims and inspi-
rations of the materialized democracy are embodied in the character
of Pancras. The monologue in which for a moment Pancras doubts
the genuineness of his mission has been pronounced by Mickiewicz
one of the great soliloquies of the world's literature.
In this poem
Krasinski's philosophy is brought before us in concrete forms, with
sublime imagery and an insight into the future almost apocalyptic.
It is said that after the disasters of 1846 Krasinski exclaimed, “Ah!
why was I not a false prophet ? ”
The work which is regarded as the poet's highest achievement is ·
the half epic, half dramatic poem, Iridion. It was written likewise
in Rome and published in 1836. In glowing colors are contrasted the
degeneracy of Rome under the Cæsars and the enthusiastic patriotisın
of the Greeks who are plotting to avenge subjugated Hellas. In con-
ception and execution is displayed the same exalted originality tiiat
distinguished "The Undivine Comedy. ' The solution also is the same:
## p. 8737 (#353) ###########################################
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
8737
Rome is pagan and the Greeks disregard Christianity, through which
alone their salvation can be wrought. Poland is always before the
poet's eye, and the application to her case is obvious. Krasinski was
no lover of art for art's sake; poetry must have a living purpose, and
in this spirit the Invocation to the Muse was written which opens
(The Undivine Comedy): «Thou ruinest wholly those who consecrate
themselves, with all they are, to thee alone, who solely live the voices
of thy glory. ”
Krasinski also wrote several prose works of a symbolic character,
but the prose is dithyrambic and impassioned. Pokusa' (Temptation)
has already been mentioned: a strange vision of grief and hope with
passages of thrilling power. Noc Letnia' (Summer Night) appeared
in the same year, 1841. In 1843 Krasinski returned to verse; and in
a series of beautiful canzone entitled Przedswit' (The Dawn) he
sang the praises of the moral elements of the Polish past, and again
proclaimed the necessity of reviving them. In the three famous
(Psalms of the Future (1845 and 1848) Krasinski glorified the heroism
of self-sacrifice and martyrdom. It was this that called forth the vio-
lent opposition of Slowacki and of the more ardent but less astute
patriots. Slowacki denounced the Psalms) as “lyric cowardice);
but Krasinski's teachings sank deep into the heart of his distressed
countrymen. The strange scene which took place at Warsaw in 1861
was typical of his influence. Infuriated by the sight of an unfurled
Polish banner, the Russian troops fired upon the populace; and the
Polish women and children and unarmed men bared their breasts to
the bullets in a frenzy of patriotic self-sacrifice. It has been said of
Krasinski that «he modified the character of an entire people. ”
He died in Paris on February 23d, 1859; and with him was extin-
guished the last star in the triad of great Polish poets.
___
(All the following selections are made from «The Undivine Comedy, and Other
Poems. Translated by Martha Walker Cook. Copyrighted 1875, by
J. B. Lippincott & Co. ]
INVOCATION
To POETRY
From «The Undivine Comedy)
TARS circle round thy head; and at thy feet
S,
A rainbow glides before thee, cleaving the clouds!
Whate'er thou look'st upon is thine! Coasts, ships,
Men, mountains, cities, all belong to thee!
XV-547
## p. 8738 (#354) ###########################################
8738
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
Master of Heaven as earth, it seems as naught
Could equal thee in glory!
-
To ears which heed thy lays, thou givest joys,
Raptures ineffable! Thou weavest hearts
Together, then untwin'st them like a wreath,
As wild caprice may guide thy flame-lit fingers!
Thou forcest tears, then driest them with a smile;
Thou scar'st away the smile from paling lips,
Perhaps but for a moment, a few hours,
Perhaps for evermore!
But thou ! - What dost thou feel, and what create ?
A living stream of beauty flows through thee,
But Beauty thou art not! woe, woe, to thee!
The weeping child upon its mother's breast,
The field-flower knowing not its perfumed gift,
More merit have before the Lord than thou!
Whence com'st thou, fleeting shadow ? to the Light
Still bearing witness, though thou know'st it not,
Hast never seen it, nor wilt ever see!
In anger or in mockery wert thou made ?
So full of self-deceit that thou canst play
The angel to the moment when thou fall'st,
And crawlest like a reptile upon earth,
Stifled in mud, or feeding upon dust!
Thou and the woman have like origin!
Alas! thou sufferest too, although thy pangs
Bring naught to birth, nothing create, nor serve!
The groans of the unfortunate are weighed;
The lowest beggar's sighs counted in heaven,
Gathered and sung upon celestial harps:
But thy despair and sighs fall to the earth,
Where Satan gathers them; adds them with joy
To his own lies, illusions, mockeries!
The Lord will yet disown them, as they have
Ever disowned the Lord!
Not that I rise against thee, Poetry,-
Mother of Beauty, of ideal Life!
But I must pity him condemned to dwell
Within the limits of these whirling worlds,
In dying agonies, or yet to be
Doomed to sad memories, or prophecies,
Perchance remorse, or vague presentiments,–
## p. 8739 (#355) ###########################################
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
8739
1
Who gives himself to thee! for everywhere
Thou ruinest wholly those who consecrate
Themselves, with all they are, to thee alone,
Who solely live the voices of thy glory!
Blessed is he in whom thou mak'st thy home,
As God dwelt in the world, concealed, unknown,
But grand and mighty in each separate part:
The unseen God, before whom creatures bow,
And kneeling cry, “Behold Him! He is here ! »
A guiding star, he bears thee on his brow,
And no unfaithful word will sever him
From thy true love! He will love men, and be
A man himself, encircled by his brothers!
From him who keeps not with thee perfect faith,
Betrays thee to the hour, or his own needs,
Devotes thee to man's perishable joys,
Painting the sensual with thy hues divine,
Thou turn'st away thy face, while scattering
Perchance upon his brow some fading flowers,
Of which he strives to twine a funeral crown,
Spending his life to weave a wreath of death!
He and the woman have one origin!
Translation of Martha Walker Cook
izá vipaa
PANCRAS'S MONOLOGUE
21
From The Undivine Comedy)
>
WY
Hy does the boldness of this haughty Count
Still trouble me? Me, ruler of the millions !
Compared with mine, his force is but a shadow.
'Tis true, indeed, some hundreds of his serfs
Cling round him, as the dog stays by his master
In trusting confidence. That is sheer folly! . .
But why do I so long to see this Count,
To subjugate him, win him to our side ?
Has my clear spirit for the first time met
An equal ? Does he bar its onward fight?
Arrest it in its full development ?
The only obstacle before me now
Is his resistance: that I must o'ercome!
And then . . . and afterwards . . . and then . . .
## p. 8740 (#356) ###########################################
8740
SIGISMUND KRASINSKI
O cunning intellect, canst thou deceive
Thyself as thou dost others ? . . . Canst not ? - No? . . .
O wretchedness! . . . Why dost thou doubt thyself?
Shame! . . . thou shouldst know thy power! Thou art
the thought,
The reason of the people; Sovereign Lord!
Thou canst control the millions, make their wills,
With all their giant forces, one with thine!
The might of All incarnate is in thee;
Thou art authority and government!
What would be crime in others, is in thee
Glory and fame! Thou givest name and place
To men unknown; a voice, a faith to brutes
Almost deprived of mental, moral worth !
In thine own image thou hast made a world,
An age created, - art thyself its god!
And yet thou hesitatest,- doubt'st thyself ?
