The Poems of Schiller - Third period Part 14

When the lion he sees, loudly roars he about, And a terrible circle his tail traces out.

Protruding his tongue, past the lion he walks, And, snarling with rage, round him warily stalks: Then, growling anew, On one side lies down too.

Again signs the king,-- And two gates open fly, And, lo! with one spring, Two leopards out hie.

On the tiger they rush, for the fight nothing loth, But he with his paws seizes hold of them both.

And the lion, with roaring, gets up,--then all's still; The fierce beasts stalk around, madly thirsting to kill.

From the balcony raised high above A fair hand lets fall down a glove Into the lists, where 'tis seen The lion and tiger between.

To the knight, Sir Delorges, in tone of jest, Then speaks young Cunigund fair; "Sir Knight, if the love that thou feel'st in thy breast Is as warm as thou'rt wont at each moment to swear, Pick up, I pray thee, the glove that lies there!"

And the knight, in a moment, with dauntless tread, Jumps into the lists, nor seeks to linger, And, from out the midst of those monsters dread, Picks up the glove with a daring finger.

And the knights and ladies of high degree With wonder and horror the action see, While he quietly brings in his hand the glove, The praise of his courage each mouth employs; Meanwhile, with a tender look of love, The promise to him of coming joys, Fair Cunigund welcomes him back to his place.

But he threw the glove point-blank in her face: "Lady, no thanks from thee I'll receive!"

And that selfsame hour he took his leave.

THE CIRCLE OF NATURE.

All, thou gentle one, lies embraced in thy kingdom; the graybeard Back to the days of his youth, childish and child-like, returns.

THE VEILED STATUE AT SAIS.

A youth, impelled by a burning thirst for knowledge To roam to Sais, in fair Egypt's land, The priesthood's secret learning to explore, Had pa.s.sed through many a grade with eager haste, And still was hurrying on with fond impatience.

Scarce could the Hierophant impose a rein Upon his headlong efforts. "What avails A part without the whole?" the youth exclaimed; "Can there be here a lesser or a greater?

The truth thou speak'st of, like mere earthly dross, Is't but a sum that can be held by man In larger or in smaller quant.i.ty?

Surely 'tis changeless, indivisible; Deprive a harmony of but one note, Deprive the rainbow of one single color, And all that will remain is naught, so long As that one color, that one note, is wanting."

While thus they converse held, they chanced to stand Within the precincts of a lonely temple, Where a veiled statue of gigantic size The youth's attention caught. In wonderment He turned him toward his guide, and asked him, saying, "What form is that concealed beneath yon veil?"

"Truth!" was the answer. "What!" the young man cried, "When I am striving after truth alone, Seekest thou to hide that very truth from me?"

"The G.o.dhead's self alone can answer thee,"

Replied the Hierophant. "'Let no rash mortal Disturb this veil,' said he, 'till raised by me; For he who dares with sacrilegious hand To move the sacred mystic covering, He'--said the G.o.dhead--" "Well?"--"'will see the truth.'"

"Strangely oracular, indeed! And thou Hast never ventured, then, to raise the veil?"

"I? Truly not! I never even felt The least desire."--"Is't possible? If I Were severed from the truth by nothing else Than this thin gauze--" "And a divine decree,"

His guide broke in. "Far heavier than thou thinkest Is this thin gauze, my son. Light to thy hand It may be--but most weighty to thy conscience."

The youth now sought his home, absorbed in thought; His burning wish to solve the mystery Banished all sleep; upon his couch he lay, Tossing his feverish limbs. When midnight came, He rose, and toward the temple timidly, Led by a mighty impulse, bent his way.

The walls he scaled, and soon one active spring Landed the daring boy beneath the dome.

Behold him now, in utter solitude, Welcomed by naught save fearful, deathlike silence,-- A silence which the echo of his steps Alone disturbs, as through the vaults he paces.

Piercing an opening in the cupola, The moon cast down her pale and silvery beams, And, awful as a present deity, Glittering amid the darkness of the pile, In its long veil concealed, the statue stands.

With hesitating step, he now draws near-- His impious hand would fain remove the veil-- Sudden a burning chill a.s.sails his bones And then an unseen arm repulses him.

"Unhappy one, what wouldst thou do?" Thus cries A faithful voice within his trembling breast.

"Wouldst thou profanely violate the All-Holy?"

"'Tis true the oracle declared, 'Let none Venture to raise the veil till raised by me.'

But did the oracle itself not add, That he who did so would behold the truth?

Whate'er is hid behind, I'll raise the veil."

And then he shouted: "Yes! I will behold it!"

"Behold it!"

Repeats in mocking tone the distant echo.

He speaks, and, with the word, lifts up the veil.

Would you inquire what form there met his eye?

I know not,--but, when day appeared, the priests Found him extended senseless, pale as death, Before the pedestal of Isis' statue.

What had been seen and heard by him when there He never would disclose, but from that hour His happiness in life had fled forever, And his deep sorrow soon conducted him To an untimely grave. "Woe to that man,"

He warning said to every questioner, "Woe to that man who wins the truth by guilt, For truth so gained will ne'er reward its owner."

THE DIVISION OF THE EARTH.

"Take the world!" Zeus exclaimed from his throne in the skies To the children of man--"take the world I now give; It shall ever remain as your heirloom and prize, So divide it as brothers, and happily live."

Then all who had hands sought their share to obtain, The young and the aged made haste to appear; The husbandman seized on the fruits of the plain, The youth through the forest pursued the fleet deer.

The merchant took all that his warehouse could hold, The abbot selected the last year's best wine, The king barred the bridges,--the highways controlled, And said, "Now remember, the t.i.thes shall be mine!"

But when the division long-settled had been, The poet drew nigh from a far distant land; But alas! not a remnant was now to be seen, Each thing on the earth owned a master's command.

"Alas! shall then I, of thy sons the most true,-- Shall I, 'mongst them all, be forgotten alone?"

Thus loudly he cried in his anguish, and threw Himself in despair before Jupiter's throne.

"If thou in the region of dreams didst delay, Complain not of me," the Immortal replied; "When the world was apportioned, where then wert thou, pray?"

"I was," said the poet, "I was--by thy side!"

"Mine eye was then fixed on thy features so bright, Mine ear was entranced by thy harmony's power; Oh, pardon the spirit that, awed by thy light, All things of the earth could forget in that hour!"

"What to do?" Zeus exclaimed,--"for the world has been given; The harvest, the market, the chase, are not free; But if thou with me wilt abide in my heaven, Whenever thou comest, 'twill be open to thee!"

THE FAIREST APPARITION.

If thou never hast gazed upon beauty in moments of sorrow, Thou canst with truth never boast that thou true beauty hast seen.

If thou never hast gazed upon gladness in beauteous features, Thou canst with truth never boast that thou true gladness hast seen.