The Influence of India and Persia on the Poetry of Germany Part 7

FOOTNOTES:

[132] We might say into European literature. The only previous attempts, as far as we know, to reproduce this form were made by Jones, who translated a ghazal of Jami (Works, vol. ii. p. 501) into English, and by a certain Tommaso Chabert, who translated several ghazals of Jami into Italian (Fundgruben, vol. i. pp. 16-19).

[133] In Taschenbuch fur Damen, which was already published in 1820, thus establis.h.i.+ng Ruckert's priority over Platen. See C. Beyer, Neue Mittheilungen uber Friedrich Ruckert, Leipz. 1873, p. 14; also letter to Cotta, ibid. pp. 113, 114.

[134] Published in Lyrische Blatter.

[135] In Vermischte Schriften.

[136] Platens Werke (Cotta), vol. ii. See p. 7, note, where information is given as to place and date of these poems.

[137] Dedication of Spiegel des Hafis to Otto von Bulow, vol. i. p. 265.

[138] We cite the Ghaselen by the number in vol. ii. of the edition here used.

[139] Goethe protested against this Oriental feature. See Noten u. Abh.

to his Divan, vol. iv. p. 273 seq.

[140] Heines Samtliche Werke, ed. Born (Cotta), vol. vi. pp. 130 seq.

Goethe in his comments on his Saki Nameh (op. cit. p. 307) emphasizes the purely pedagogical side of this relation of saqi and master.

[141] Ka.s.side, dated February 3, 1823, ii. p. 60.

[142] Lith. ed., s.h.i.+raz, A.H. 1312.

[143] The Divan appeared August, 1819. Platen's poem is dated Oct. 28, 1819.

[144] See Studien zu Platen's Balladen, Herm. Stockhausen, Berl. (1898), pp. 50, 51, 53, 54.

CHAPTER VIII.

RuCKERT.

His Oriental Studies--Introduces the Ghasele--ostliche Rosen; Imitations of H_afi?--Erbauliches und Beschauliches--Morgenlandische Sagen und Geschichten--Brahmanische Erzahlungen--Die Weisheit des Brahmanen--Other Oriental Poems.

When speaking of the introduction of the _?azal_-form into German literature mention was made of the name of the man who is unquestionably the central figure in the great Oriental movement which is occupying our attention. Combining the genius of the poet with the learning of the scholar, Ruckert was preeminently fitted to be the literary mediator between the East and the West. And his East was not restricted, as Goethe's or Platen's, to Arabia and Persia, but included India and even China. He is not only a devotee to the mystic poetry of Rumi and the joyous strain of H_afi?, but he is above all the German Brahman, who by masterly translations and imitations made the treasures of Sanskrit poetry a part of the literary wealth of his own country. To his productivity as poet and translator the long list of his works bears conclusive testimony. In this investigation, however, we shall confine ourselves to those of his original poems which are Oriental in origin or subject-matter. A discussion of the numerous translations cannot be undertaken in the limited s.p.a.ce at our disposal.

Like Goethe and Platen, Ruckert also owed to Hammer the impulse to Oriental study. His meeting with the famous Orientalist at Vienna, in 1818,[145] decided his future career. He at once took up the study of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit, and with such success that in a few years he became one of the foremost Orientalists in Europe.

The first fruit of these studies were the _Gaselen_ which appeared in the _Taschenbuch fur Damen_, 1821, the first poems of this form in German literature.[146] They have been generally regarded as translations from the _divan_ of Rumi, but this is true of only a limited number; and even these were probably not taken directly from the Persian, but from the versions given by Hammer in his _Redekunste_.[147]

As a matter of fact, only twenty-eight--less than one-half of the _Gaselen_,--can be identified with originals in Hammer's book, and a comparison of these with their models shows with what freedom the latter were handled.[148] Furthermore in the opening poem, (a version of _Red._ p. 187, "So lang die Sonne") the last couplet:

Dschelaleddin nennt sich das Licht im Ost, Dess Wiederschein euch zeiget mein Gedicht,

is original with Ruckert, and clearly shows that he himself did not pretend to offer real translations. The majority of poems are simply original _?azals_ in Rumi's manner.

Dschelaleddin, im Osten warst du der Salbenhandler, Ich habe nun die Bude im Westen aufgeschlagen.[149]

These lines, we believe, define very well the att.i.tude which the poet of the West a.s.sumed toward his mystic brother in the East.

The series of _Ghaselen_ signed Freimund and dated 1822 (third series in our edition) are not characteristically Persian. Hence we proceed at once to a consideration of the fourth series (p. 253 seq.), which we shall discuss together with the poems collected under the t.i.tle of _ostliche Rosen_ (p. 289 seq.) from which they differ in nothing but the form. They were, besides, a part of the _ostliche Rosen_ as published originally at Leipzig, 1822.

These poems are free reproductions or variations of Hafizian themes and motives. The spirit of revelry and intoxication finds here a much wilder and more baccha.n.a.lian expression than in the _Divan_ of Goethe or the _Ghaselen_ of Platen. _Carpe diem_ is the sum and substance of the philosophy of such poems as "Einladung" (p. 287) and "Lebensgnuge" (p.

293); their note is in thorough accord with H_afi?, when he exclaims (H_. 525. 7):

"to me, who wors.h.i.+p the beloved, do not mention anything else; for except for her and my cup of wine, I care for none." We are admonished to leave alone idle talk on how and why ("Im Fruhlingsthau," p. 261), for as H_afi? says (H_. 487. 11): "Our existence is an enigma, whereof the investigation is fraud and fable." The tavern is celebrated with as much enthusiasm (e.g. "Das Weinhaus," p. 290) as the ?????? to which H_afi? was destined by G.o.d (H_. 492. 1). Monks and preachers are scored mercilessly (e.g. "Der Bussprediger," p. 255; "Dem Prediger," p. 295) as in H_. 430. 7:

"The admonisher spoke tauntingly: Wine is forbidden, do not drink!

I said: On my eye (be it); I do not lend my ear to every a.s.s."

The characteristic Persian images and rhetorical figures, familiar to us from Platen, are also found here in still greater variety and number.

Thus to mention some new ones, the soul is likened to a bird (p. 270, No. 29, cf. H_. 427. 5: ??? ????); the cypress is invoked to come to the brook (p. 336, cf. H_. 108. 3: ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???? "the place of the straight cypress is on the bank of the brook"); the rose-bush glows with the fire of Moses ("Gnosis," p. 350, cf. H_. 517. 2: ??? ????

???? ?? "the rose displays the fire of Musa"); _Hafis_ is an idol-wors.h.i.+pper (p. 305, "Liebesandacht," cf. H_. 439. 6, where ?? ?????

????? "the idol of sweet motions" is addressed). We meet also the striking Oriental conception of the dust of the dead being converted into cups and pitchers. In "Von irdischer Herrlichkeit" (p. 257) the character "der alte Wirth" is the _pir_ of H_. 4. 10 et pa.s.sim, and when speaking of the fate of Jamid, Sulaiman and Ka?us Kai, he says:

Von des Gluckrads hochstem Gipfel warf der Tod in Staub sie, Und ein Topfer nahm den Staub in Dienst des Topferrades.

Diesen Becher formt' er draus, und gluht' ihn aus im Feuer.

Nimm! aus edlen Schadeln trink und deiner l.u.s.t nicht schad' es!

This very striking thought, as is well known, is extremely common in Persian poetry. To cite from H_afi? (H_. 459. 4):

"The day when the wheel (of fate) from our dust will make jugs, take care! make our skull (lit. the cup of the head) full of wine."[150]

Some of the poems are versions, more or less free, of H_afi?--pa.s.sages, e.g. "Die verloren gegangene Schone" (p. 290, H_. 268), "An die Schone"

(p. 308, H_. 160, couplets 2 and 5 being omitted), "Beschwichtigter Zweifel" (p. 310, H_. 430. 6), "Das harte Wort" (p. 350, H_. 77. 1 and 2). Sometimes a theme is taken from H_afi? and then expanded, as in "Die Busse" (p. 346), where the first verse is a version of H_. 384. 1, the rest being original.

Of course, reminiscences of H_afi? are bound to be frequent. We shall point out only a few instances. "Nicht solltest du so, O Rose, versaumen die Nachtigall" ("Stimme der Sehnsucht," p. 256) is inspired by a verse like H_. 292. 2:

"O rose, in thanks for that thou art the queen of beauty, display no arrogance towards nightingales madly in love."