For from the gods ye received what they ever denied unto mortals,Power to comfort and aid all who in you may confide.
1782.
THE CHOSEN CLIFF.
HERE in silence the lover fondly mused on his loved one;Gladly he spake to me thus: "Be thou my witness, thou stone!
Yet thou must not be vainglorious, thou hast many companions;Unto each rock on the plain, where I, the happy one, dwell, Unto each tree of the wood that I cling to, as onward I ramble,'Be thou a sign of my bliss!' shout I, and then 'tis ordain'd.
Yet to thee only I lend a voice, as a Muse from the peopleChooseth one for herself, kissing his lips as a friend."1782.
THE CONSECRATED SPOT.
WHEN in the dance of the Nymphs, in the moonlight so holy assembled,Mingle the Graces, down from Olympus in secret descending, Here doth the minstrel hide, and list to their numbers enthralling,Here doth he watch their silent dances' mysterious measure.
All that is glorious in Heaven, and all that the earth in her beautyEver hath brought into life, the dreamer awake sees before him;All he repeats to the Muses, and lest the gods should be anger'd,How to tell of secrets discreetly, the Muses instruct him.
1789.
THE INSTRUCTORS.
WHEN Diogenes quietly sunn'd himself in his barrel,When Calanus with joy leapt in the flame-breathing grave, Oh, what noble lessons were those for the rash son of Philip,Were not the lord of the world e'en for instruction too great!
1789.
THE UNEQUAL MARRIAGE,EVEN this heavenly pair were unequally match'd when united:
Psyche grew older and wise, Amor remain'd still a child,1789.
EXCUSE.
THOU dost complain of woman for changing from one to another?
Censure her not: for she seeks one who will constant remain.
1789.
SAKONTALA.
WOULDST thou the blossoms of spring, as well as the fruits of the autumn,Wouldst thou what charms and delights, wouldst thou whatplenteously, feeds, Would thou include both Heaven and earth in one designation,All that is needed is done, when I Sakontala name.
1792.
THE MUSE'S MIRROR.
EARLY one day, the Muse, when eagerly bent on adornment, Follow'd a swift-running streamlet, the quietest nook by it seeking.
Quickly and noisily flowing, the changeful surface distorted Ever her moving form; the goddess departed in anger.
Yet the stream call'd mockingly after her, saying: "What, truly!
Wilt thou not view, then, the truth, in my mirror so clearly depicted?"But she already was far away, on the brink of the ocean, In her figure rejoicing, and duly arranging her garland.
1799.
PHOEBUS AND HERMES.
DELOS' stately ruler, and Maia's son, the adroit one,Warmly were striving, for both sought the great prize to obtain.
Hermes the lyre demanded, the lyre was claim'd by Apollo,Yet were the hearts of the foes fruitlessly nourish'd by hope.
For on a sudden Ares burst in, with fury decisive,Dashing in twain the gold toy, brandishing wildly his sword.
Hermes, malicious one, laughed beyond measure; yet deep-seated sorrowSeized upon Phoebus's heart, seized on the heart of each Muse.
1799.
THE NEW AMOR.
AMOR, not the child, the youthful lover of Psyche, Look'd round Olympus one day, boldly, to triumph inured;There he espied a goddess, the fairest amongst the immortals,--Venus Urania she,--straight was his passion inflamed.
Even the holy one powerless proved, alas! 'gainst his wooing,--Tightly embraced in his arm, held her the daring one fast.
Then from their union arose a new, a more beauteous Amor, Who from his father his wit, grace from his mother derives.
Ever thou'lt find him join'd in the kindly Muses' communion, And his charm-laden bolt foundeth the love of the arts.
1792.
THE GARLANDS.
KLOPSTOCK would lead us away from Pindus; no longer for laurel May we be eager--the homely acorn alone must content us;Yet he himself his more-than-epic crusade is conducting High on Golgotha's summit, that foreign gods he may honour!
Yet, on what hill he prefers, let him gather the angels together, Suffer deserted disciples to weep o'er the grave of the just one:
There where a hero and saint hath died, where a bard breath'd his numbers, Both for our life and our death an ensample of courage resplendent And of the loftiest human worth to bequeath,--ev'ry nation There will joyously kneel in devotion ecstatic, revering Thorn and laurel garland, and all its charms and its tortures.
1815.
THE SWISS ALPS.
YESTERDAY brown was still thy head, as the locks of my loved one,Whose sweet image so dear silently beckons afar.
Silver-grey is the early snow to-day on thy summit,Through the tempestuous night streaming fast over thy brow.
Youth, alas, throughout life as closely to age is unitedAs, in some changeable dream, yesterday blends with to-day.
Uri, October 7th, 1797.
DISTICHS.
CHORDS are touch'd by Apollo,--the death-laden bow, too, he bendeth;While he the shepherdess charms, Python he lays in the dust.
WHAT is merciful censure? To make thy faults appear smaller?
May be to veil them? No, no! O'er them to raise thee on high!
DEMOCRATIC food soon cloys on the multitude's stomach;But I'll wager, ere long, other thou'lt give them instead.
WHAT in France has pass'd by, the Germans continue to practise,For the proudest of men flatters the people and fawns.
WHO is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, And in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own.
NOT in the morning alone, not only at mid-day he charmeth;Even at setting, the sun is still the same glorious planet.
VENETIAN EPIGRAMS.
(Written in 1790.)
URN and sarcophagus erst were with life adorn'd by the heathenFauns are dancing around, while with the Bacchanal troop Chequerd circles they trace; and the goat-footed, puffy-cheekd playerWildly produceth hoarse tones out of the clamorous horn.
Cymbals and drums resound; we see and we hear, too, the marble.
Fluttering bird! oh how sweet tastes the ripe fruit to thy bill!
Noise there is none to disturb thee, still less to scare away Amor,Who, in the midst of the throng, learns to delight in his torch.
