Courts and courtiers -- Fiction; German fiction -- Translations into English; Germany -- Fiction
This picturesque ceremony in the Albrechtsplatz was without practical
significance; its effect began and ended there. Klaus Heinrich never
dreamed of going into garrison, but went the very same day with his
parents and brother and sister to Hollerbrunn, to pass the summer there
in the cool old French rooms on the river, between the wall-like hedges
of the park, and then, in the autumn, to go up to the university. For so
it was ordained in the programme of his life; in the autumn he went up
to the university for a year, not that of the capital, but the second
one of the country, accompanied by Doctor Ueberbein, his tutor.
The appointment of this young savant as mentor was once more
attributable to an express, ardent wish of the Prince, and indeed, as
far as the choice of tutor and older companions was concerned, whom
Klaus Heinrich was to have at his side during this year of student
freedom, it was considered necessary to give a reasonable amount of
consideration to his expressed wishes. Yet there was much to be said
against this choice; it was unpopular, or at least criticized aloud or
in whispers in many quarters.
Raoul Ueberbein was not loved in the capital. Due respect was paid to
his medal for life-saving and to all his feverish energy, but the man
was no genial fellow-citizen, no jolly comrade, no blameless official.
The most charitable saw in him an oddity with a determined and
uncomfortably reckless disposition, who recognized no Sunday, no
holiday, no relaxation, and did not understand being a man amongst men
after work was done. This natural son of an adventuress had worked his
way up from the depths of society, from an obscure and prospectless
youth without means, by dint of sheer strength of will, to being, first
school teacher, then academic professor, then university lecturer, had
lived to see his appointment--had "engineered" it, as many said--to the
"Pheasantry" as teacher of a Grand Ducal Prince, and yet he knew no
rest, no contentment, no comfortable enjoyment of life.... But life, as
every decent man, thinking of Doctor Ueberbein, truly observed, life
does not consist only of profession and performance, it has its purely
human claims and duties, the neglect of which is a greater sin than the
display of some measure of joviality towards oneself and one's fellows
in the sphere of one's work, and only that personality can be considered
a harmonious one which succeeds in giving its due to each part,
profession and human feelings, life and performance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account