a very modern tragedy, Die beiden Bräute, (the Two Brides,) by Julius Körner, who must not be confounded with Theodore Körner, the author of the Leier und Schwert, (Lyre and Sword.) Edward Peralti, who is wavering between his first and new love, says to himself:— Ich bin von einem Zaubergarn umsponnen; Und wenn sie sinkt die Nacht vor meinem Blicken, Bei ihr der Freund, der halb mir schon verrieth......... Ihn an sich kettend mit der Wohlthat Band? Mit Worten-kalt-als hätt’ich keine Ahnung, Sie hat den bittern Thränenkelch des Kummers Sich abzuscheiden-das war ihre Wahl Ich brech'ihr nicht mein Wort, ich gab's einmahl. I am entangled in a magic web, led by a hidden power. My life is regulated without my concurrence. How will this riddle be unravelled? and when night sinks before my eyes, what unexpected being am I to behold? Who will she be, the wonder-working fairy, that invisibly leads me, and with a holy hand draws lots for me? A vague foreboding pervades my mind. My rambling thoughts create phantoms, and fearlessly combine them as realities, although they are but the fancies of a dream, too exalted, too wonderful, to be true! She stands before me-the celestial figure who moved my heart when I first saw her, but vanished from my sight before I had recovered from my sudden confusion: to-day I unexpectedly met with her again, and the magic stroke of that moment again vibrated convulsively through my soul. She too was moved, though she concealed her emotion, and with her was the friend who half betrayed to me...... how she, the noble fair, the highly-gifted one, who, suddenly subdued by the power of love, had recalled the stranger, and bound him to her by the ties of kindness and I-I return what her heart granted with loving confidence in mine, with words-cold-as were I bereft of feeling, as if my understanding did not reach so far! for I am chained to a lower sphere by those sacred vows which popular delusion calls inviolable. Obdurate man! dost thou not hear the warning voice of thy genius? should not her father's refusal, his revolting pride, awaken thee from thy dream, and make thee flee to darling liberty? He has not yet the feelings of a father for me, he still looks upon our union with spite.Well, well, old man! take back thy child, I will not rob thee of thy daughter! -Yet, Emma, my Emma, divine creature! with thy gentleness, thy true love! She patiently emptied the bitter cup of sorrows and of tears for my sake. To be united with me, or to resign her precious life-such was her choice.I will not break the word I gave her. 766. Von einem Zaubergarn umsponnen, spun round by a magic yarn; entangled, encompassed in a magic web. Zaubergarn is one of those compound words (sec. 320) with which the German language abounds. We may combine two nouns substantive together, as here Zauber, magic, and Garn, yarn, twist, web, net, just as in English, Gold-watch; or a substantive with a verb, and a verb with a substantive, as Schreibpapier, writing-paper; or an adjective with a substantive, and substantives with adjectives, particles, prepositions, and adverbs. This power of combining words is even of greater extent in the German than in the Greek language, in which it has always been considered as a great beauty. a great beauty. In the German word Zaubergarn, magic web, the web undoubtedly is the main object, and therefore it stands last, as does "watch" in the English word "gold-watch." We say, as in English, Goldneuhr, Wasserratze, Schulmeister, Küchenthür, Wasserkrug, Schiesspulver, Schreibpapier, Speisesaal. The rule is constant in German, and we believe it is generally attended to in all such combinations in English, except in the word "pick-pocket," which, like "tooth-pick," should have been "pocket-pick." In "pickaxe" the formation of the word is correctly agreeable to the German rule; "axe" is the main agent, the main instrument, and "picking" is only the subordinate use for which it is intended. "The dirty water-jug," der schmutzige Wasserkrug, does not leave you a single moment in doubt whether it is the jug that is dirty or the water; but the French, la cruche à l'eau sale, may mean either the dirty jug, or the jug with dirty water. 767. Der Zauber, sub. masc. magic, charm, enchantment, spell, witchcraft. This word enters into the composition of a great number of nouns; as die Zauberflöte, the magic flute, a well-known Opera of Mozart's; der Zauberring, the magic ring; eine Zauberruthe, or ein Zauberstab, masc. a magic wand; die Zauberkunst, witchcraft; ein Zaubermitel, neut. a charm; der Zauberschlag, the magic stroke, &c. The word Garn, in German, has a much more extensive signification than the English "yarn:" it denotes yarn, twine, twist, independent of its signifying also any web or net, and a particular large drag. We say Kabelgarn, cable-yarn; Baumwollengarn, cotton-yarn; Baumwollenes Webegarn, cotton-twist; Wassergarn, water-twist; Mulegarn, mule-twist; which must not be confounded with Müh lengarn, mill-spun yarn; and this word is an instance of the elliptical genius of our language, which drops the participle gesponnen, "spun," as being sufficiently understood; Ka melgarn, mohair-yarn; Leinengarn, linen-yarn; Strickgarn, knitting worsted; Dachtgarn, wick-yarn; Nähgarn, twine; Segelgarn, sail-twine; Takelgarn, tarred twine; Schie mannsgarn, spun twine; Kardusgarn, cartridge-twine; Einschussgarn, weft. Umsponnen, part. past of the insep. comp. irr. act. verb umspinnen, to spin around, to sur round with a web, sec. 700; ich umspinne, ich umspann, ich habe umsponnen. But as the preposition um often denotes the opposite of what the object was before, sec. 717, umspinnen sometimes means to undo the former spinning, to spin up differently in this signification um is sep. and the part. past is umgesponnen. 768. verborgen, sec. 41, must not be confounded with the act. verb verborgen, to lend. The part. past verborgen, hidden, is here employed adverbially, instead of eine ver. borgene Macht, a hidden power. 769. mein Leben wird gestaltet, my life is arranged, regulated. Gestalten, reg. act. verb, to shape, to figure, to form. The law expression, bei so gestalten Sachen, matters being thus situated, under such circumstances, should be, correctly, bei so gestalteten Sachen, as it is the part. past of gestalten, which is, as here, gestaltet. Sich gestalten, refl. verb, to form itself, to show, to develop itself: die Sache gestaltet sich anders als ich glaubte, the matter turns out differently from what I expected. 770. enthüllen, insep. reg. act. comp. verb, to uncover, to unveil, to bare, to lay open. It is made of ent, sections 5, 688, and 755, and hüllen, reg. act. verb, to envelop, sec. 72, and is the opposite of verhüllen, to wrap up. 771. Entdecken is to discover, to disclose. 772. Das Wesen, sub. neut. the being, existence, substance. We have lower down himmlisch Wesen, celestial being. Gott ist das höchste Wesen, God is the Supreme Being. It also denotes essence: das Wesen der Religion, the essence or spirit of religion; es gehöret zum Wesen der Sache, it is essential to the matter; eines Wesens seyn, to be consubstantial. In the ancient juridical language Wesen denoted a fixed residence, particularly in the country; it also signifies reality: man muss das Wesen vom Scheine unterscheiden, the relative situation of several individuals, living in society, the state: das gemeine Wesen (respublica) the commonwealth; das gelehrte Wesen, the republic of letters; das Postwesen, all that concerns the post-office; das Kriegswesen, whatever is relative to war, Wesen is likewise an invariable way or manner of acting. We say of an individual, er hat ein angenehmes Wesen, his manners are agreeable; viel Wesen machen, to stand upon ceremonies; but viel Wesensvon einer Sache machen, to make a great fuss about a thing, to attach a great and undue importance to it. 773. Loose ziehen, to draw lots. Das Loos, es, e, sub. neut. lot, fate, destiny. We had Schicksal and Schickung, sec. 733. 774. Ein Ahnen, a verbal sub. neut. a foreboding. It is now more frequently spelt ahnden, sec. 532. Those who say ahnen, derive the word from the old Saxon anan, to approach, to come near; and those who say ahnden, derive it from the Danish Aand, soul, spirit. We have lower down Ahnung instead of Ahndung. 775 Die Wirklichkeit, sub. fem. derived from wirklich, sec. 503, reality. Von der Möglichkeit auf die Wirklich keit schliessen ist übereilt, to suppose a thing real because it is possible, is an overhasty conclusion. It is also the opposite of der Schein, sub. masc. appearance. Schiller, speaking of dramatic compositions and theatrical performances, says : "Der Schein soll nie die Wirklichkeit erreichen, Und siegt Natur, so muss die kunst entweichen." When Aubry's dog (in the Forest of Bondy) appeared on the stage at Weimar, in spite of Goethe's and Schiller's opposition, these lines were parodied : "Dem Hundestall soll nie die Bühne gleichen, Und kömmt der Pudel muss der Dichter weichen." 776. Ob sie's verbarg, although she concealed it; ob, which properly is, whether, if, sec. 740, is here a poetical abbreviation of obschon, obgleich, obwohl, although, sec. 706. 777. Verrieth, betrayed, impf. of verrathen, sec. 580. 778. Meinetwegen, on my account. It is properly the genitive of the pronoun personal ich, genitive meiner, the r being changed into t for euphony sake; the preposition wegen, on account of, governs the genitive. Meines Vaters wegen, on account of my father: we say in the same way, um meinetwillen, sec. 576, aud meinethalben, for me, I have no objection, Meinethalben mag er kommen, he may come for me, I shall not prevent it. 779. The following ballad, entitled Rodolph, was written by Count F. L. Stolberg : |