quently be omitted, as done in English. Ich glaube er ist zu Hause, I think he is at home; and here, in the last line, ich höre noch heiss ich, I hear that I am still called. You will find a list of the principal verbs after which dass may be omitted in the "Nature and Genius of the German Language," page 392. 516. Einen zum Besten haben, to have one for the best, is a singular idiomatic expression, which means, to make a fool of one, to banter, to laugh at a person. 517. Die übrigen Bursche, the other lads. This word Bursche has of late years acquired notoriety in Germany from the general alliance entered into by the students of the German universities, by the name of der Burschen Verein, which gave great offence to the Holy Alliance. Der Bursche, des Burschen, pl. die Burschen, a fellow, a companion in the same trade or profession, and figuratively any youth, particularly an apprentice, ein Lehrbursche. Among students, the expression is probably derived from the Latin word Bursales, which was the name given to students in the middle ages, on account of their living in colleges, as they do still at Oxford and Cambridge; these buildings or colleges being called "Bursa." 518. Kickern, reg. neut. verb, to giggle. In some parts of Germany they say, Kickern, Kicheln, and even Kittern. 519. Das Clavier, es, e, pl. e, (is more generally spelt with a K, though the C is more correct, according to its etymology, from the Latin Clavis, the key,) a harpsichord. Das Clavier spielen, to play on the harpsichord. 520. Der Text, es, e, pl. die Texte, mas. the words of an author, in opposition to their explanation or commentary; and more particularly any passage in the Bible which is the subject of a sermon. But it is also used for the words of any literary composition, as here. 521. Nicht wahr, not true, is always used as an interrogation, is it not true? like the French, n'est-ce pas ? is it not so? 522. Sich halten, to contain one's-self. 523. Laut auflachten die Mädchen, is a poetical license for die Mädchen lachten laut auf; auflachen being a reg. sep. comp. (ich lache auf, ich lachte auf, ich habe aufge L lacht,) to burst out a-laughing. Klopstock, Schiller, A. W. Schlegel, and others, have indulged in the same deviation from a rule which is hardly ever infringed in prose. 524. Sich den Bauch halten, to hold one's belly, is an idiomatic expression for to hold one's sides for laughing. 525. Pamina and Tamino are the names of two dramatis persona in Mozart's "Magic Flute." 526. Bürger's Ballad, entitled "Die Entführung, oder Ritter Karl von Eichenhorst und Fräulein Gertrude von Hochburg," the Elopement, or Sir Charles of Eichenhorst and Lady Gertrude of Hochburg,― will afford us some important remarks :— "Knapp', sattle mir mein Dänenross Es wird mir hier zu eng' im Schloss; So rief der Ritter Karl in Hast, Voll Angst und Ahndung, sonder Rast. Er sprengte, dass es Funken stob, Und als er kaum den Blick erhob, Zusammen schrack der Rittersmann; "Gott grüss euch, edler junger Herr! Zum letztenmahl beschieden. Verloren ist euch Trudchen's Hand! Dem Junker Plump von Pommerland Hat sie vor Aller Ohren, Ihr Vater zugeschworen. "Mord! flucht er laut, bei Schwert und Spiess Wo Karl dir noch gelüstet, So sollst du tief ins Burgverlies Wo Molch und Unke nistet. Nicht rasten will ich Tag und Nacht Bis dass ich nieder ihn gemacht, Das Herz ihm ausgerissen Und das dir nachgeschmissen.' Jetzt in der Kammer zagt die Braut Und zuckt vor Herzenswehen, Ach! Gott der Herr muss ihrer Pein So wisst ihr's auszudeuten. "Geh, meld'ihm, dass ich sterben muss! Geh, unter Gottes Schutz, und bring Wobei er mein gedenke!' Zu Ohren braust'ihm, wie ein Meer, Gottslohn Gottslohn! du treue Magd, Bisz wohlgemuth und tummle dich! Bisz wohlgemuth und tummle dich! Squire! saddle my Danish horse, that I may obtain some solace by riding! I feel oppressed here in the castle! I will and must get into the open country. Thus exclaimed, in haste, Sir Charles, full of anxiety and forebodings, and restless. He felt nearly as distressed as if he had killed some one. He gallopped down from the court-yard so that the sparks flew about, and on scarcely lifting bis eyes, lo! he beheld Gertrude's maid! The knight startled; it seized him as with claws, and shook him to and fro like a fever. "God bless you, my noble young lord! Heaven grant you health and peace! My poor lady sends me hither for the last time. Gertrude's hand is lost to you! In the hearing of all, her father has promised her with an oath to the young Lord Plump, of Pomerania. 'S'death!-he swore aloud by sword and lance-if you still think of Charles, you shall be confined in the deepest cave of the castle, where lizards and toads are breeding. Neither night nor day will I rest before I have knocked him down, tore out his heart, and cast it after you," Your beloved Gertrude is now desponding in her room, convulsed with violent pains in her heart; she fetches deep sighs, weeps aloud, and wishes for death. Ah! the Almighty must and will soon release her of her sufferings. Should you hear the death-bell ringing, you will know for whom. 'Go tell him that I must die,' she said, under a flood of tears, 'go, carry him the last greetings he will hear from me-go, under heaven's protection, and give him from me this gold ring, and this shoulder belt, that he may remember me!"" The girl's terrifying message roared in the knight's ears like the sea; the mountains reeled around him; every thing glimmered before his eyes: but, suddenly, like a whirlwind that raises and drives leaves and dust before it, the courage of despair revived his spirits: "God reward you! faithful maid; if I cannot pay you, the Almighty will reward you a hundred thousand times for having brought me this message; be of good cheer, and make haste! Quickly hasten back, and tell her, were it from a thousand chains, I will yet free her. Be of good cheer, and hasten away, Ha! I would snatch her from giants with the point and edge of my sword. Tell her that at midnight, by the light of the stars, I shall be under her window, may happen what will, whether I be happy or wretched for ever." 527. Ein Knappe, sub. masc. a squire, a shield-bearer. Hence they were also called Schildknappen; knappe being originally the same with knabe, a boy, a youth. In common life the word still denotes a journeyman in some trades, the name of which is prefixed, as ein Mühlknappe, a miller's man; ein Tuchknappe, a clothier's man; ein Bergknappe, a miner; ein Salzknappe, a labourer in salt mines. In the duchy of Brunswick, farmers' servants are called knappen, in other parts of Germany, knechte. The adj. knapp, is strait, narrow, close, pinching, sparing. 528. Mein Dänenross, my Danish horse, sec. 92. We often denote horses in German by the country which gave them birth, even without adding the word Pferd or Ross, and we then make the word masculine. We say, er reitet einen Engländer, einen Polacken, einen Dänen, &c. he rides an English horse, a Polish horse, a Danish horse, &c. Erreiten, to obtain by riding on horseback. 529. Es wird mir hier zu eng' im Schloss, it grows too narrow for me here in the castle. We have already noticed, es ist mir and es wird mir, sec. 463 and 471. Zu eng', contraction for zu enge, too narrow, meaning zu enge um's Herz, oppressed about the heart. Enge properly is strait, narrow, close, tight. 530. Ich will und muss in's weite, I will and must into the wide, is an elliptical expression, the verb gehen is understood, I must go; and in's weite, for in das weite, the adj. weit, far, distant, used as a substantive, instead of die weite Welt, the wide world, here the open country, contrasted with the confinement of the castle. The prep. in construed with the accusative, and meaning " "into," sufficiently shows that there is a locomotion intended. We say in common life, ich muss heute in die Stadt, I must (go) to-day into the city. Er will in den Wald, he wants (to go) into the wood. 531. In Hast, adv. exp. in haste. Die Hast, fem. haste, differs from Eile, fem. haste, by denoting rather the anxiety to do something in a very short time, and answering more the English "hurry." Ich habe es in Hast gethan, Ï did it in a hurry; the haste with which I did it, did not proceed from want of time or external circumstances, but from my own agitation, levity, or vivacity, which did not permit me to bestow sufficient time upon it. 66 532. Voll Angst und Ahndung, full of anxiety and forebodings. Angst, sec. 206. Die Ahndung, subs. fem. a foreboding, misgiving of what is to happen. Several authors call it Ahnung; Ahndung, however, is more correct, the word being derived from ahnden, to forebode. Voll, full, adj. is combined with the substantive that follows either with the prepos. von," das Haus war voll von Menschen, the house was full of people; or with the genitive, which is more elegant and poetical. Voll verwegener Schalkheit, full of bold waggishness; or we may tack the voll in both cases at the end, as-von grossen Erwartungen voll, full of great expectations; and ernestes Tifesins voll, full of profound melancholy; or we may speak simply by juxta-position, without declining the substantive, or using |
