Withered Leaves: A Novel. Vol. 2 (of 3)Gottschall, Rudolf von
General
Withered Leaves: A Novel. Vol. 2 (of 3)
Gottschall, Rudolf von
German fiction -- Translations into English
Beside him stood another agitator, whose entire appearance denoted him
to be devoted to colour; he was artistically draped in a cloak with a
velvet collar, while every possible gaudiness of waistcoat and necktie
peeped forth between the folds; his head, as the Brussels citizen says
in "Egmont," would be a real delight to an executioner, so splendidly
it contrasted with the average heads of the throng, so brilliant is its
colouring, so luxuriant the well-cared-for beard. He was the humourist
of the party, a flourishing author; by some compared with Jean Paul, by
others with Börne, and his satirical bees fluttered around a flowery
abundance of pictures. No greater contrast could exist than that
between this overflowing humourist and the staid political medical man
by his side--the former revelling in the luxuriant complacency of an
enthusiasm for freedom, which poured flowers, fruit and briars out of
its horn of plenty; the latter, the man of dry formulas, of determined
demands.
Near them stood other men of the party, teachers at girls' schools,
pedagogues of great oratorical fluency, and some worthy citizens of
intellectual pursuits. The master chimney-sweep, who passes his
snuff-box round yonder, speaks of Kant and Feuerbach, as if they were
customers for whom he sweeps soot out of their chimnies; he knows the
construction of the philosophical systems as accurately as the
construction of coke stoves, and at home possesses a library which many
a professor might envy.
Now the President's hammer is heard; an amateur orchestra, consisting
of members of the union, sends forth its mighty sounds from the
platform, then patriotic songs are sung. All betokens warm
participation; it is a society that betrays internal life. Thus also
thinks that renowned author, a tall figure, with a wreath of hair round
the crown of his head, an idealist of the purest water, who is making
studies here of superior sociability, and, amidst the din of the
present, seeks to solve a problem of the future. The young doctor, who
now ascends the platform, is well-known to Blanden--it is the poet
Schöner; he pushes his long black hair from his brow, and, with
flashing eyes, and fiery pathos, recites a poem which lauds the Baltic
country as the new home of political freedom. During the recital he was
quivering from head to foot like a Shaker who is moved by his religious
enthusiasm, but it was this peculiarity that acted with such
electricity upon the crowd. Tempestuous applause rewards these poetical
efforts. The Robespierre in the frock-coat addresses a warm laconic
eulogium to the poet after he had descended from the platform; the
humourist, with good-natured blue eyes, looks pleasantly at him through
spectacles, and lauds his grand talent. The master chimney-sweep closes
his snuff-box vigorously, a species of applause that he loves, and does
the poet the honour of inviting him to a game of chess, a peculiar
distinction which is only vouchsafed to favourites.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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