landing him on both feet; the trout leap, which does the same thing
twice in quick succession and with the legs crossed; twenty-two monkey
jumps without stopping; a great variety of table and board jumps; the
goat and hare leaps; the leap through eight rings, one from floor to
ceiling, over chairs, etc.”[150]
The enjoyment is of course strengthened when the already interesting
motion becomes sensuously agreeable; a low degree of such pleasure is
experienced in witnessing regular motion in a single direction, such
as that of a rushing stream or of clouds sailing across the heavens.
In one of his verses Gottfried Keller calls these latter the “friendly
companions of the dwellers on earth.” “As they wander on they attract
and distract the burdened soul of him who observes them with wonder,
and keep him amused all through the weary hours.” Gurgling springs
add to their upward gushing motion the soft underground murmur of
their waters, while the beauty of circling motion is perhaps never
more effectively shown than in the majestic floating of birds of prey.
Darwin says in his Voyage of the Beagle round the World: “When the
condors are wheeling in a flock round and round any spot their flight
is beautiful. Except when rising from the ground, I do not recollect
ever having seen one of these birds flap its wings. Near Lima I watched
several for nearly half an hour, without once taking off my eyes. They
moved in large curves, sweeping in circles, descending and ascending,
without giving a single flap.” Perhaps our pleasure is even greater in
wave motions, as they roll over the ocean or are produced by the wind
on a field of grain, or surge in the current of a rapid stream. These
noble verses of Mörike’s on the Rhine falls bear witness to the power
of the æsthetic feeling so aroused:
“Halte dein Herz, o Wanderer, fest in gewaltigen Händen!
Mir entstürzte vor Lust zitternd das meinige fast.
Rastlos donnernde Massen auf donnernde Massen geworfen,
Ohr und Auge wohin retten sie sich im Tumult?...
“Rosse der Götter, im Schwung, eins über den Rücken des ander
Stürmen herunter und streu’n silberne Mähnen umher;
Herrliche Leiber, unzählbare, folgen sich, nimmer dieselben,
Ewig dieselbigen—wer wartet das Ende wohl aus?”[151]
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account