unsophisticated manners of the country people in the North of Germany. But the verses are hexameters; they are not so easily committed to memory as rhymes: yet they go a great way to teach a correct pronunciation and the proper accent. Our extract, therefore, is but short. "Plötzlich scholl im Gebüsche die rufende Stimme des Knaben: Beide Papa und Mama! Felderbeern pflanzte der liebe Wunderbar! es erhebet der Reiche sich künstlicher Gärten, Welche die Frucht ihm zinsen aus jeglichem Sonnenbezirke, Fröhnend in Zwang; und dem Armen bereitete Gott in der Wild [niss: Ohne sein Thun, Fruchtgärten voll heilsamer Blumen und Kräuter; Arbeitlos dann sammelt das Kind, und sammelt der Greiss ein, Heimliche Gabe von Gott, der treu auch des Sperlinges waltet. Suddenly there resounded in the thicket the calling voice of the boy: Come, then, come and gather strawberries. Here they stand in full glow, bush by bush, redder than scarlet, so that one does not know where to begin! We shall all be huzzaing for joy when we pour our provision into the dish! Papa and Mamma will both look with astonishment! The Almighty planted such succulent and sweet wood strawberries! They taste infinitely better with cream, than the gardener's pompous strawberries, with wine! Now they approached, and beheld the swollen berries, which, red as fire, and crowded in clusters, shone all around amidst the grass in the beams of the sun, and spread an aromatic fragrance over the country. The noble modest Walter exclaimed, with joy and surprise, "How wonderful! the rich pride themselves in their artificial gardens, which yield them the fruit of every climate, reared in bondage by force; whilst the Almighty prepared in the wilderness for the poor, without any labour of theirs, fruit-gardens stocked with wholesome flowers and herbs and unemployed children and old people collect the secret gifts of God, who also bounteously provides for the sparrow. 425. Plötzlich, adv. of time, suddenly; when strength ened by the particle ur, urplötzlich, very suddenly. It generally implies something unexpected, and something alarming. 426. scholl, resounded, is irr. imperfect of the verb schallen, which is regular, when it means to produce a sound; but it has scholl in the impf. when it means to resound, to re-echo; and the participle then is geschollen. 427. im Gebüsche, a contraction for in dem Gebüsche. in here governs the dative, because there is no locomotion; if there were, it would be in's Gebüsch, for in das Gebüsch. das Gebüsch, es, e, die Gebüsche, neut. the thicket, the copse, the bushes. The particle Ge prefixed to a substantive often changes the word into a collective one. ein Busch a bush; dus Gebüsch, a collection of bushes, a thicket; so der Berg, a mountain; das Gebirge, a chain of mountains; eine Wolke, a cloud; das Gewölke, an assemblage of clouds. Voss says, "Oft sieht man auf einem Punkte des Berges eine kleine lockere Nebelflocke aufsteigen. Zusehens wächst die Masse, und wird - erst Wölkchen, dann Wolke, und dann Gewölk.” 428. kommt doch, und pflückt, the real second person of the imperative, which in the language of polite conversation in a private circle, would be kommen sie doch und pflücken sie, come but and gather; doch, however, is frequently a mere expletive to enforce a request; it answers sometimes the English pray; thun Sie mir doch den Gefallen, pray do me that favour, sec. 22. 429. kommen, to come, is an irr. neut. verb; ich komme, ich kam, ich bin gekommen. Pflücken, reg. act. verb, to gather, to cull, to pluck; and fig. to plunder, to cheat at play. 430. die Erdbeere, fem. the strawberry. We call Felderbeeren or Walderbeeren, those which grow spontaneously in woods; and Gartenerdbeeren, those which grow in gardens. 431. röther, the comparative of roth, adj. red. 432. der Scharlach, es, masc. scarlet. Sich in Scharlach kleiden, to wear scarlet clothes. Busch an Busch, bush by bush. 433. dass einer nicht weiss wo er hin soll! that one knows not where he shall to; meaning that one does not know where to go first, where to begin gathering. Einer answers here exactly the English "one," when it means every one, all human beings, the whole species. Wieland says: "Er stand wie Einer der nicht hörte und nicht sah "He stood there enchanted and transformed into a spirit, like one who neither heard nor saw ;" and Goethe makes the fox say of the wolf: "Wenn hätt ihn auch jemahls Einer so satt gesehen dass er zufrieden gewesen." "And when did one ever see him so satiated that he had been satisfied." Wo er hin soll, where he shall to, which way he shall turn, where he is to begin. One of the advantages derived from the two particles hin and her, marking the direction towards or from the speaker, in which an action is performed, is, that they give us many elliptical expressions, as ich muss hin, I must thither, for I must go thither. Wo soll ich hin? where am I to, for which way am I to go ? sie darf nicht hin, she dares not thither, for, she dare not to go thither. 434. Vor Lust, for joy, with pleasure, or delight. The prep. vor before, sec. 10, which sometimes denotes an obstacle, sec. 131, frequently signifies an efficient cause, as here, vor Lust jubeln, to huzza for joy, joy is the cause why we huzza. It seems to be synonymous with für, for. We say, vor Hunger sterben, to die with hunger, to die for hunger, because one is hungry. vor Freude weinen, to weep for joy; joy is so excessive that it makes one weep. 435. die Kumm', for die Kumme, fem. a large deep dish; something deep and hollow in general; hence the bason of a harbour is also eine Kumme; in some parts of Germany, ein Kumpf, ein Kumpfen, or eine Kümme. 436. ausschütten, reg. sep. act. comp. verb, to shake out, to pour out; made of the prep. aus, out, and schütten, to shoot out of a bag or sack: when employed in German with liquids, it is in English to pour. Thus Luther translates Exodus, xxix. 7, Du sollst das Salböl auf sein Haupt schüllen, "thou shalt take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head." 437. schaun, a contraction for schauen, sec. 351, which in the sense of seeing is more poetical than sehen, and answers the English, to behold, to look with care. Luther translates Job xxxv. 5, Schaue gen Himmel und siehe und schaue an die Wolken "look unto the heavens and see, and behold the clouds." 438. Papa und Mama! father and mother! the poet puts these French words into the mouth of the boy, because he is the son of a count, and children in great families are accustomed to these French denominations from their infancy. The young boy, moreover, alludes to the old clergyman and his wife, whom he calls papa and mamma, merely from a friendly regard, and something like filial attachment. Der liebe Gott, see sec. 267. 439. Kräftig, adj. strong, efficacious, forcible, energetic, vigorous; but applied to strawberries, refreshing, full of juice; applied to eatables in general, that gives strength; as kräftige Brühe, good strong broth. 440. in der Sahn', for in der Sahne, in the cream, with cream; die Sahne, fem. cream. This denomination prevails in Upper Saxony: in other parts of Germany cream is called der Rahm, es, or Milchrahm. 441. schmecken, reg. act. and neut. verb, to taste, to relish, to feel, to experience, to enjoy. Luther translates Psalms, xxxiv. 8, schmecket wie freundlich der Herr ist. "O taste and see that the Lord is good." Nach etwas schmecken, to have the taste of something; der Wein schmeckt nach dem Fasse, the wine tastes of the wood; es schmeckt mir nicht, I do not relish it, it has no taste in my opinion; die Arbeit will ihm nicht schmecken, he does not relish the work, he is not fond of working. To taste, in the sense of trying a small bit of any eatable, in order to know how it tastes, is, in German, kosten. Der Koch kostet ein Gericht, und er schmeckt dass es zu sehr gesaltzen sey, dass es also nicht gut schmecke, the cook tastes a dish, and he finds (tastes) that it is too much salted, and that of course it does not taste well. 442. vielmahl köstlicher, many times more exquisite, is a poetical expression. In common life we say, viel köstlicher, much more exquisite. You may use either vielmahl or vielmahls. Er hat es mir vielmahl or vielmahls erzählt, he told me several times. But with the verb danken, to thank, we generally say, ich danke Ihnen vielmahls, I return you many thanks. Köstlich, adj. costly, exquisite, precious, splendid; but kostbar, expensive, costly, in the sense of costing a good deal. Ein Ding kann köstlich seyn, und doch nicht kostbar, a thing may be precious, exquisitely good, and yet not expensive. Luther translates Hebrews, xiii. 9, Es ist ein köstlich Ding dass das Herz fest sey, "it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;" and Psalm xcii. 1, Das ist ein köstlich Ding dem Herrn danken und lobsingen deinem Namen, du Höchster! “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High!" 443. im Weine, a contraction for in dem Weine, in the wine, with wine. Observe the difference of the two languages. In English you say, to eat strawberries with cream or with wine; in German, in cream or in wine; and as we may generalize our ideas, either with the article definite, like the French, or without any article, like the English, we may say, in der Sahne, or in Sahne ; im Weine, or in Wein. 444. Prahlerdbeeren, vaunted or showy strawberries. It is a compound word of prahlen, to boast, to vaunt; and Erdbeeren, strawberries. 445. die geschwollenen Beeren, the swoollen berries, the full berries. Geschwollen is the participle past of the irr. neut. schwellen, sec. 251. ringsum, adv. round about; rings is an adverb meaning in a circle, in a round, in a ring. It is generally prefixed to the words um, sec. 36, 234, 276, umher and herum, which all three signify "about ;" rings um die Stadt, round about the town. 446. das Gedüft, or das Gedüfte, es, neut. fragrance, strong odour. It is a collective word, made of der Duft, es, pl. die Dufte, masc. vapour, evaporation. 447. durchathmen, reg. act. insep. comp. to breathe through, to animate, to fill. Der Lebenshauch Gottes durchathmet die Welt, the vivifying spirit of God animates the world; der Rosen Gedüfte durchathmet würzig die Luft, the fragrance of roses embalms the air. Würzig, adj. fall of spices, aromatic, from Würze, fem. spices, any thing that heightens a flavour. The English proverb, Hunger is the best sauce, is, in German, der Hunger ist die beste Würze. |