Tales From the "Phantasus," etc. of Ludwig TieckTieck, Ludwig
Science
Tales From the "Phantasus," etc. of Ludwig Tieck
Tieck, Ludwig
German fiction -- Translations into English
"It is one of his peculiarities," answered Roderick, "to despise the
whole art of medicine from beginning to end. Disorders, he says, are
all different in different persons, and all general rules and theories
are mere absurdities. He would rather go to old women, and use their
sympathetic simples. Again, on other grounds, he despises all
prudential proceedings, and every thing like orderliness and
moderation. From his childhood he has had his ideal of what a great
man ought to be, and what his endeavour is to be to make of himself;
and one of the points of this ideal is to have an utter scorn of all
_things_, particularly of money; and so, that he may never be
suspected of being economical, or not liking to give away, or indeed
of thinking of money at all, he flings it away in the absurdest way in
the world. Consequently, with all his fine property, he is always poor
and in difficulties, and is made a fool of by every one who is not
great in the sense in which he understands greatness. To be his friend
is the most difficult of things; for he is so irritable, that if one
does but cough, it is a sign one is not spiritual, and to pick one's
teeth would throw him into convulsions."
"Has he never been in love?" inquired Anderson.
"Why, who is he to love?" answered Roderick: "he despises all the
daughters of earth. If his ideal were to shew a fancy for a bow or a
ribbon, much more to dance, it would break his heart. And if she did
but catch a cold, I don't know what would become of him."
Emilius was again in the crowd; when on a sudden the shock and pain
which such scenes and concourses often produced came over him again,
and chased him away out of the room and the house, along the now empty
streets, to his house. It was not till he found himself alone in his
own room that he recovered his self-possession. His servant lit his
candle and placed it on the table; and Emilius told him to go to bed.
The other side of the street all was dark as the grave; and he sat
himself down to let the thoughts the ball had awakened in him flow off
into a poem.
There was calm in the spirit's depths;
In chains the demons slept;
With purpose fell to work his ill
Uprose the wicked will.
"Fling wide," he cried,
"The prison-gate,
Come forth, ye demons all!"
With yell and shout
That hideous rout
Sprung out at the welcome call.
Tralala! Tralala!
Whoop, whoop, whoop, hurrah, hurrah!
Trumpet crash and cymbal clash;
Flute, and fife, and violin,
Squeaking, shrieking, clattering;
Clarions ring with deafening din;
Now hell's chorus shall begin,
Now the fiends of madness reign;
Gentle child-like peace is slain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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