Der Schatz, der Schatz Heil, Finder, dir! Drum wünschen wir Be thou cheerfully greeted, holy eve of gladness! for not only children rejoice, even sensible parents rejoice at thy approach, when, to prepare a treat for their inmates and children, they select now this and then that, and at last retain what they have chosen as the best of all. But the most cordial enjoyment is that of our children; the year through they think of the last feast, how fine it was; and at Easter they begin to hope for the next. Even the countenance of the old man brightens, when, amidst the joys of his grand-children, he has this day a more lively recollection of his youth. He still remembers how the Christmas presents were given at home; how his mother was full of mystery; how for weeks she had always something to whisper to the servantgirl when she went to market; how she kept closets and chests locked, and so gravely sneaked by when she carried any thing under her apron ; how his father himself gravely and zealously called his dear inmates together on Christmas eve, and when they were collected began to sing with devotion one of the hymns of the day; how at last he marched as leader, and unlocked the drawing-room; how the wax candles were burning there, and the trees bore almonds and raisins on golden twigs; how the apples were laid on shining pewter dishes, and over them nuts and Nurenberg gingerbread, and how there were many children besides him, and a great many toys. All this he relates, and lo! among his children, he once more becomes a child, when the hand of a sweet grand-daughter offers him a purse, and a ribband for his cane, of her own embroidering, to commemorate the nativity of Christ. O thou divine benefactor of mankind! thou lookest with complacency down from Heaven, and acceptest the joys of children, and of those who are gladdened by the celebration of thy coming! Let some celebrate it in one way, and some in another, provided the day be devoted to unfeigned joy! Let weighing wisdom teach you to choose your gifts, and let affection render you inventive to raise their value by the friendly manner of bestowing them!-This art is well known to my friend Palemon: no father of a family makes it a more serious business to diffuse joy around him. I once passed Christmas eve with his happy inmates. The little party had risen from their frugal repast, and whilst the table was cleared, and every thing put to rights, the mother took us into an adjoining room, showed us this and that, and asked about different things, as if she had had no other thought. But we were called. The tables had been removed, the dining-room was lighted up with six wax-candles, and we were met by the smoke of the burning frankincense. Lo! the opposite passage-door opened, and my friend Palemon came in with a cheerful countenance. He held high in his hand a Cremona violin, on which he commonly played only to those of his visitors who were connoisseurs. He advanced to the middle of the room, and not only played but sung. He thus began: "Search cheerfully, children; a treasure is the reward of the fortunate finder; it lies hidden, it is true; but be not uneasy, he who listens with intelligence will discover the spot. Perambulate the room, and pay steady attention to my varied play. To him who is far off, I am silent; to him who is near, I indicate by stronger sounds that he is approaching the goal." All were now silent around, and every look was full of expectation. "Who has learnt to search?" said Palemon. "Charles, I think you may venture;" and Charles was the first who searched about. Under the lookingglass there was laid, on the marble slab, a parcel loosely wrapped up in coarse paper, and half tied with dirty tape. No mortal would have sought a treasure there; nor did the seeking Charles suppose any in it. He went from door to door, from window to window, and still no music; from chair to chair, and the violin continued silent. He then approached the mirror; loud sounds were heard; they now grew stronger, and now weaker. "But Charles," said his mother at length, with impatience, " do not you observe when you look to a spot how the sounds increase?" Lo! he flew to the slab, and the violin strings thundered; from the chair on the right he made but a leap to the chair on the left; he looked behind the glass, and laid hold of a spiderweb; he then looked under the marble-that was the spot ; the strings sounded, it is true, but slowly; still they resounded, and he stood thoughtful before the slab: "Here it must be! however," exclaimed he, and ventured, and ventured, and laid hold of the parcel, and the solemn song of triumph resounded in full harmony: "He has it, he has it! victory! the treasure fortunately is here: he who is deterred by the trouble and labour of searching, never will discover a treasure. Hail to thee, finder! thou hast courage and sagacity: we therefore duly give thee joy!" And they laughed as they sung. 879. Denn nicht Kinder freuen sich nur, would be in prose, denn nicht nur Kinder freuen sich, and instead of being followed by a simple auch, we should say sondern auch, but also. We employ sondern, instead of aber or allein, which also signify "but," whenever the preposition that is to be completely contradicted happens to be a negative one, because aber and allein only limit the proposition. Thus there is a great difference between saying, ich leugne es nicht, sondern ich zweifle nur daran, and ich leugne es nicht aber ich zweifle doch daran; I do not deny it, I only doubt it: and, I do not deny it, but I doubt it. Freuen sich dein, a poetical contraction for freuen sich deiner, the genitive of the pron. personal Du, rejoice of thee, viz. rejoice in thee, at thy approach. Denken, farther on, is also poetically construed with the genitive, whilst in common life we say, an etwas denken. 880. Des Hauses liebe genossen, the dear inmates of the house; in common life again, die lieben Hausgenossen. Ein Hausgenoss or Hausgenosse, sub. masc. an inmate, one of the family. A female inmate is eine Hausgenossinn. The substantive Genoss, an enjoyer along with another, a partaker, sharer, fellow, is combined with several words, as Bettgenoss, Ehegenoss, a consort; Glaubensgenoss, fellowbeliever, who is of the same faith, &c. 881. Das Visitenzimmer, the room for receiving visits, the drawing-room. The word is half French; the real German is das Besuchzimmer. Das Obst, es, e, sub. neut. fruit in general, but here apples, which are generally given at Christmas, with walnuts and small nuts. Und nimmst die Freude der Kinder an, and acceptest the gladness of children. This alludes to the gospel of St. Mark, x. 14-16. 882. Indem sie sich anschickt, whilst she prepares herself, viz. whilst she was setting to or about it. Anschicken, sep. reg. act. to prepare, to dispose, to make ready; refl. sich anschicken, to get ready. Ich schicke mich an, ich schickte mich an, ich habe mich angeschickt. 883. Wie meines eignen Auges schon'ich der Violine, I'll spare the violin as my own eye, viz. I'll take particular care of your violin. Schonen, reg. act. to spare, to husband, to use with circumspection, with care, to have regard for. It governs the accusative, but is elegantly construed, as here, with the genitive. Zachariæ says:— Der fürchtet keine Götter Der keines Menschen schont. 884. Verbiss sich ein beginnendes Lächeln, repressed an incipient smile. Verbeissen, irr. insep. neut. comp. is properly to bite, to bruise with the teeth: but figuratively, to brook, to conceal, to repress. Das Lachen verbeissen, to stifle a laugh. Ich verbeisse, ich verbiss, ich habe verbissen. 885. Gieb dem Vater das Spiel, give to the father the play; viz. give the instrument to my father, let my father play. 886. War nichts, was nothing; viz. was good for nothing, would not do. 887. Das hast du getroffen! that thou hast hit; viz. you contrived well. Treffen, irr. act. and neut. verb, to hit. Ich treffe, ich traf, ich habe getroffen. 888. Als er in's Auge mir stach, as it pricked me in the eye; viz. as it hit my fancy. See Stechen, sec. 490. 889. Samojeden here means furs, because they constitute the principal trade of the Samojedes. 890. Mich dünkt is exactly the English "methinks." We also say, mir däucht, which, however, is rather "it appears to me.' 891. Und werd'uns auf Ostern ein guter Primaner, and become to us at Easter a good scholar of the first class. The pupils in our grammar-schools are divided into classes; the sixth is the lowest, and the first the highest. One who is in the first class is called ein Primaner. 892. Es sitzt ihr wie gegossen am Leibe, it fits her as if it had been cast into a mould upon her body; viz. as if her body had served as a mould; it fits admirably. Gegossen, founded, cast, is the part. past of the irr. act. Giessen, to pour, to spill, to cast liquefied metal into a mould; ich giesse, ich goss, ich habe gegossen. Ein Schriftgiesser, sub. masc. a typefounder. 893. Dreiszig (thirty) is here the name of a bookseller of Halle, in Saxony, who first got pewter animals made for children. 894. Wohl erinnert! well reminded! viz. that is well said, well observed. 895. Die Kommode, or rather Commode, sub. fem. as it is borrowed from the French, an elegant chest of drawers. The German word is Kastenschrank, sub. masc. 896. Ein Saffianrothes Portefeuille, a red morocco letter-case. Der Saffian, sub. masc. is both Spanish and Turkish leather. Portefeuille, portfolio, letter-case, is again a French word. The German is eine Brieftasche, sub. fem. 897. Punktum, or rather punctum machen, (as it is the Latin word, a point, a stop) is a familiar humorous expres sion, to stop, to give over. 898. Eine Augenweide, sub. fem. a pasture for the eye; viz. any thing that pleases, that delights the eye; that is agreeable to the sight. 899. Sollten Hand umsuchen in Hand, were to search about hand in hand. The construction in prose would be, sollten umsuchen Hand in Hand. Consult about Sollen, “Nature and Genius of the German Language," page 146 -151. 900. Ob mühsamer auch, although with more difficulty, with much difficulty. This is a poetical license; in prose it must be wenn auch mühsamer. We do not say ob auch, sec. 706. Auf den räumlichen Hausflur, to the spacious or roomy entrance-hall. Der Hausflur is. the same with der Flur, sec. 647, only denoting the vestibule at the entrance of the house, and not the landing of any of the upper stories, which Flur sometimes denotes. 901. Eine Wirthschaft, sub. fem. house-keeping, household furniture, the management of a house, of a public-house, of an inn, economy, husbandry; sometimes it is used sneeringly; was ist das für Wirthschaft! what bad management! Sie haben da eine schöne Wirthschaft angerichtet! they have made a pretty thing of it indeed! viz. they have managed badly, got matters into confusion. Landwirthschaft, husbandry. Staatswirthschaft, political economy. Vor allem Seh'n, with all this seeing, looking. Vor here points at an obstacle, as sec. 131. 902. So hielt es der Vater, thus held it the father; this is an idiomatical expression for "this was the father's way.' The irr. act. and neut. verb, halten (ich halte, ich hielt, ich habe gehalten,) is to hold; we have it lower down, haltend den Brief in den Händen, holding the letter in his hands but it has a great variety of other significations, according to the noun with which it is construed. Ich halte es so, literally means, I hold it thus; but figuratively, this is my way. Ein jeder kann es damit halten wie er will, any one may do as he likes in this respect; he may have his own way. But es mit jemand halten is, to side with one, to take his part. 903. Jettchen is the diminutive of Henriette, Harriet; sec. 458 and 603. 904. Sagte der Vater ja, said the father yes? viz. did not my father say so? The affirmative particle ja, yes, is frequently an expletive, which merely strengthens the proposition, as here, in the sense of "yet, however, but, though," &c. We say, er hat es dir ja ausdrücklich ver |
