The natural beauties of Heidelberg are well known abroad. Who is he who has looked upon its picturesque environs with a healthful mind, and has not been enraptured with them? Therefore, the son of the Muses, who is here passing his student years, eagerly hastens out in the lovely days of summer into the free regions of nature that lie around. The walks in the immediate vicinity of the city are diligently trodden by him. Above all, the castle enjoys the frequent visits of the student youth in thronging numbers. The student is to be met here every hour of the day, but he still more loves to survey here the beauties of a moonlight night. Leaning over the terrace, he looks down upon the city as it lies in its solemn silence stretched along the bank of the Neckar. Its inhabitants, with all their troubles and pleasures,--his companions, with all the pursuits and passions of restless youth, are hushed into deep slumber. He only wakes, but the hours which he steals from sleep are not lost. He glances wide over the plain of the Pfalz, which, illuminated by the moon's uncertain light, offers to the eye no longer its boundary of hills. Opposite to him, the castle rears its gigantic pile, and varying its outlines with every change of the moonlight, challenges the imagination to equal its bold features in its highest flights. The moon now advances from behind some envious cloud, and the windows of the palace of Otto Heinrich appear magically lit up, and it seems again to stand in all the splendour of past ages. But the solitary watcher has unconsciously wandered forward till he finds himself standing close to the spot where Matthieson sung his elegy. Suddenly all falls back into shade, and before him stands a sublime image of the wrath and passions of man--the rifted tower--one part blown up and hurled, in one mighty mass, into the moat. In the vaulted chambers of the yet standing portion, the mysterious forms of heroes long gone down to the dust, seem to erect themselves, and to cry wo over the desolating fury of the French. The wanderer feels a momentary shiver pass through him--but he glances up to heaven, which expands above him in its glorious clearness--an image of divine peace and rest; the owl, with its dismal shout of joy, brings him back from his dreams, and in silence he descends to the silent city.
How sweet 'tis in the air!No hateful tyrant thereScathes Nature's fair reign.No base adulator,No slanderous traitor,Empoisons the plain.Salis.
How sweet 'tis in the air!No hateful tyrant there
Scathes Nature's fair reign.
No base adulator,No slanderous traitor,
Empoisons the plain.
Salis.
The cool shades of the Wolfsbrunnen afford the student a delicious retreat in the heat of a summer's day; and many another spot of the vicinity are sought by him with equal delight, which have been already often sketched and described.
This is not the place to attempt it, and were it, we should despair of saying any thing more on the natural beauties of Heidelberg; but we cannot resist quoting a few passages from a very popular article on Heidelberg in the Halle Year-Book.
After the author has described the view from the balcony of the castle, he says, "While in the youthful mind the sentiment of an infinite fulness of life springs up from those rich and wide prospects, the stiller and more secret charms of the environs of Heidelberg allure it to thoughtful and more intimate observations of nature. The dark shadowy paths of the casile gardens invite to solitary walks. Every where on all hands hidden glens lead away into the mountains, and winding pathways provoke to farther advances, and conduct to continually fresh discoveries of charming valleys and woods, new views in the distance, and more romantic places of repose. At one place we quit the view of the ruin and the plain, where serene but busy life displays itself; a few steps forward, and the most profound solitude receives us; instead of the laughing fields and sloping vineyards, solemn thick beech woods, in which for hours we meet no trace of human existence, engulf us. We bury ourselves in the depths of the Odenwald--then suddenly we stand on the airy peak of the mountain, or a wide ravine rends itself out of the hill-side before us, and there again lies in our view the whole magnificence of the Rhine-plain at our feet! We see in the distance the ancient Worms, and the towers of Speir, and of Trifells, where King Richard sate in captivity; and yonder the ruins of the castle of Hambach; and in this one glance comes before us a vast fragment of history--the Niebelungen Lied, and the old holy Roman Empire, with its secular and spiritual Electors and Princes under the Emperor, and Luther before the Diet. And then sweep before us the Crusades; and then again the times in which the wild troops of Turenne came hither from behind that Rhine-stream, the French soldiers playing at ball, as they came, in the Dome of Speir, with the skulls of German kings; and finally, the latest scenes of the past, when upon that castle of Hambach the German and the French tricolour flapped on the same standard staff. And these histories which we have lived over again in this one view, are not yet dead and worn out, but still plant themselves in the very heart of the present, and intertwine themselves beneath our feet there, in many an intricate winding. A network of boundaries lies before us; every fresh glance falls on a fresh territory--upon a different race of the German people. There, towards the south, the ancient Swabia shadows itself forth; here, northward, Hesse divides itself from the Pfalz; there, beyond the river, contends the active French spirit against the strict old Bavarian discipline, and nourishes itself with its beloved traditions and daring hopes. Still farther off can we look into this very France itself, which for centuries has been so fatally disastrous to us. Those steam-vessels which cover the Rhine, and bear in them travellers of all nations, are ready to convey us upward to the foot of the Alps, or downward to the sea; and the busy and restless traffic, which moving between these points daily rushes to and fro, past us, there presses itself into the very centre of our field of vision."
The reader must pardon us that we have permitted ourselves to be seduced by the charms of nature to inweave here what might perhaps have found a place in one of the last chapters; where indeed we propose to consider what influence the student life has on the spirit and mind of the pupil of Minerva. He will allow us now to return to our present subject.
The more distant places the student seeks by means of a horse or carriage. The riding horses for hire are truly, for the most part, wretched jades. Even the means which the Renommist of Zachariæ used would prove unavailing here; and what he thus describes, on such Rosinantes as these could not come to pass.
A spur-stroke and a curse gave wings unto his horse.The crack of ponderous whip, and rib-thumps, sans remorse,Sent him all foaming on, till almost, in a minute,The country lay behind him, the next, he was not in it.
A spur-stroke and a curse gave wings unto his horse.The crack of ponderous whip, and rib-thumps, sans remorse,Sent him all foaming on, till almost, in a minute,The country lay behind him, the next, he was not in it.
A peculiar class of equipages are let out in the university cities, and are hired by the student partly on account of their cheapness, but more especially, because he can charioteer himself. He styles these little chaises with one horse, a one-span, or one-engine. With one of these he undertakes journeys which, especially on Sundays, stretch themselves as far as Mannheim, to the Hardt mountains, to the Melibocus, or even to Karlsruhe and Baden-Baden. The persecuted horse who drags these vehicles, knows the way from Mannheim and other places, much better than his temporary master; and when in dark nights a one-engine goes wrong or comes to any accident it is for the most part because his driver will not let him have his own way. Many a time the poor beasts are so weary that the student can no longer urge them forward with the whip, and is obliged to have recourse to stones that he picks from the road.
Water excursions are seldom undertaken, because the ill-constructed pleasure-boats do not allow him to guide them himself. The neighbourhood of so many beautiful countries incites the student to more extensive excursions, and he travels during the vacations, into Switzerland, the Rhine country, and other places, chiefly in company of a few friends. We may suppose it to be on some incident connected with one of these excursions that Uhland has founded his beautiful ballad of
THE WIRTHIN'S DAUGHTER.Three students crossed over the Rhine-stream one day,'Twas to a Frau Wirthin's they wended their way."Frau Wirthin, hast thou good beer and wine,And where is that lovely daughter of thine!""My beer and wine are fresh and clear;My dear daughter lies upon the death-bier!"And as they stepped to the innermost room,There she was lying robed for the tomb.The first he withdrew then the veiling screen,And gazed upon her with sorrowful mien:"Ah, wert thou living, fair flower of earth,How should I love thee from this day forth!"The second he covered the pale, dead face,And turn'd him round and wept apace:"Ah, there thou art lying on thy death-bier,And how have I loved thee for many a year!"The third he lifted once more the veil,And kissed her upon the lips so pale:"Thee I loved ever! yet love thee to-day!And still shall I love thee for aye and for aye!"
Three students crossed over the Rhine-stream one day,
'Twas to a Frau Wirthin's they wended their way.
"Frau Wirthin, hast thou good beer and wine,
And where is that lovely daughter of thine!"
"My beer and wine are fresh and clear;
My dear daughter lies upon the death-bier!"
And as they stepped to the innermost room,
There she was lying robed for the tomb.
The first he withdrew then the veiling screen,
And gazed upon her with sorrowful mien:
"Ah, wert thou living, fair flower of earth,
How should I love thee from this day forth!"
The second he covered the pale, dead face,
And turn'd him round and wept apace:
"Ah, there thou art lying on thy death-bier,
And how have I loved thee for many a year!"
The third he lifted once more the veil,
And kissed her upon the lips so pale:
"Thee I loved ever! yet love thee to-day!
And still shall I love thee for aye and for aye!"
That the student is not totally debarred from field-sports either, the number of game dogs that he keeps sufficiently testify. A tract of land lying along the Neckar, between Handschuhsheim and Dossenheim, is assigned to him as his sporting ground; yet he is forbidden by the law, to take any game-dog thither with him. This is probably to prevent damage to the autumnal and winter crops of the peasants; which would otherwise be sorely overrun by men and dogs. This regulation, and the high cultivation of this tract, are the cause that the solitary student, wandering thither with his gun, thinks himself lucky if he returns home with an odd hare or partridge. But he has also frequent admittance to other hunting-grounds which lie in the farms of different citizens. The amusement of fishing does not appear so very attractive to the German as to the Englishman, and one seldom now sees an isolated son of the Muses, who patiently watches the line which is thrown into the Neckar-stream, till a little fish befools itself with the bait. The student loves not that sort of fishing, which according to his German notion, seems at once a phlegmatic and tedious business; and there is a caricature of an Englishman made by the students, which represents him as sitting patiently watching his float so long, that a spider had spun his web in the angle of the rod and line, and had already caught several flies there before the fisherman had hooked a single fin.
Before we quit the summer pleasures of the student, we must say a few words on theKirchweihs--wakes. The reader must not alarm himself with the fear that we are going to bore him with an essay on church solemnities--we allude only to those popular festivities with which the anniversary of the dedication of a church is celebrated. As is often the case, this feast has lost its original intention; scarcely any one thinks of the meaning of the word, which in the mouth of the ordinary people is corrupted toKerve. Every little nest, much too poor for the possession of a church, yes, many an individual public house, even, has its particular Kirchweih. By what authority it has usurped this name and holiday, nobody troubles himself to inquire. People are quite contented that, through these Kirchweihen, of which one or more fall out within their reach every Sunday during the summer, they find occasion to dance, drink, and sing. From every city gate then presses forth a motley group; the worthy burger, the Handwerksbursche, the alert young dressmaker, the homely housemaid, all are crowding forward in a promiscuous throng. Amongst them one descries companies of a higher grade, which rejoice themselves in the splendid summer's day.
So gladly each sans himself to-day!* * * * *Out of low houses, with damp, dull rooms;Out of the bonds of labour and trade;Out of the crash of the narrow alleys;Out of the church's reverent night,--They all are brought forth into the light.See! only see! how nimbly salliesThe multitude, scattering through garden and field;How it gaily again on the broad flood rallies,Alive with all joys that boats can yield.
So gladly each sans himself to-day!* * * * *Out of low houses, with damp, dull rooms;Out of the bonds of labour and trade;Out of the crash of the narrow alleys;Out of the church's reverent night,--They all are brought forth into the light.See! only see! how nimbly salliesThe multitude, scattering through garden and field;How it gaily again on the broad flood rallies,Alive with all joys that boats can yield.
Who has not called to mind these lines of the great master, when he has looked on the stream of the popular throng that has swept on towards one of the resorts of holiday pleasures. In the midst of this tumult the students are also to be seen following the current of the great stream in smaller or greater companies. If in modern times the singular attire less distinguishes him from the crowd, yet the practised eye readily singles out the student from the Handwerksbursche and the shop assistant. On the countenance of the Handworker we see displayed the joy which he feels to find himself once more for a day able to flee from the dusty workship, and the pride of showing himself in his Sunday bravery, in the astonished eyes, as he believes, of the world. This holiday array he has truly often thrown upon his back in a queer enough style. In black frock coat, white trousers, high cravat, and glittering boots, stalks he clumsily along, and his rude taste extends itself to the very pipe which he carries in his hand. On the contrary, the Pendulum has clad himself after the newest French fashion. All is smoothed and polished off to a nicety. He looks like a dish that the hungry Nero has licked into the most elegant cleanness. Scarcely dare he turn himself in his beautiful clothes lest he should crumple the ornate and artistical knot of his neckcloth; lest he should derange the nice tornure of his locks. He wheels himself aside only to see whether the admiring gaze of the fair sex is not following him. "Nöthig," would the student say--that is, "it would be well for him if it did!"
The student disdains, Knoten-like, to beautify himself on a Sunday. One day is like another to him; he can devote it either to study or to pleasure. So, as on other days, he lounges carelessly along. His attire is not studied, but it is convenient; and according to individual taste, more or less excellently chosen. A short frock-coat, often of a peculiar cut, and the little cap, are all that distinguish him. Formerly, indeed, the costume, one entire singularity, and the coloured Chore-ribbands, the variegated cap, and the tri-colour of the Burschenschaft, were worn openly. But in spite of all this, nothing is so easy as to recognise the student by his free and self-possessed carriage. Saucily, often haughtily, he observes the groups of onward-pouring people, without turning a step out of his track; careless whether he be an object of notice, being only too secure that he is. So leaves he the city Besom to the Handwerksbursche, nodding, however, a passing greeting to this and the other as they go by, assured that, arrived at the dancing place, they will speedily forsake the Knoten to fly to the arms of the more favoured dancer.
I catch the hamlet's stir and cheer,The people's genuine heaven is here!Here great and small shoot glad and free,Here I'm a man--here may one be!
I catch the hamlet's stir and cheer,The people's genuine heaven is here!Here great and small shoot glad and free,Here I'm a man--here may one be!
The Kirchweihs which in the neighbourhood of Heidelberg are the most noted, are those of Neckarsteinach and Kirscheim. Thither, some years ago, some of the most conspicuous burger families were accustomed to make an annual rustic pilgrimage of pleasure. This glory is gone by; yet we would recommend the latter still as the best place in which for the stranger to witness this folks'-feast, if so we may term it. We follow the sound of obstreperous music, and enter a garden, where a motley multitude presents itself to our sight. All the tables are filled; people eat and drink, chatter and smoke, laugh and sing, all in one chaos of merry confusion. Hither and thither, where an impatient guest thumps vigorously on the table with his glass, run the waiters--in the student's tongue, Faxe. At one table an honest burger company has planted itself, and over a glass of wine, weigh seriously whether the European balance of power can be maintained, and criticise the government of the city.
No, no, I like him not; our span-new burgermaster,As he's so bold already, he'll come it thick and faster.And for the town, what doth he, pray?Gets it not worse then every day!
No, no, I like him not; our span-new burgermaster,As he's so bold already, he'll come it thick and faster.And for the town, what doth he, pray?Gets it not worse then every day!
Certain youngsters have seated themselves beside them in a state of considerable perplexity, whether they shall be held fast by the wise conversation of these elders, or shall follow the bewitching sounds of youthful merriment.
At the next table, a knot of Bauers carry on a zealous discourse, of which one catches these syllables in passing,--"Oney think o'that, now; that the thing can run so wi'out bosses. It's got the divil in't's body, an' that the outlandish folk have fun' out again!" It is the railroads that have thrown the fat farmers into such a heat, and they raise themselves into such a fidget with talking of the steam-engines, that they blow as much smoke out of their earthen pipes, called by the studentsearthlypipes, as the engines themselves can send out steam.
But at another table we behold the dear image of youth. The Handwerksbursch, who treats his maiden with wine and cakes; the school youth who is there playing off the bursche before them, but looks round, ever and anon, lest the original that he is counterfeiting be near, or his teacher, who walking this way might reprove his presumption; the fresh country maiden, and the gay damsel of the city, all desire to make themselves amiable, and seek by their tittering and laughter, to let every one observe that they are capitally entertained by their swains.
One table is occupied by the students, who, revelling in a rich repast, now look up at the beauty of the Neckar-Thal, and now mix themselves in the throng, whispering with this and that maiden, to whom their shepherds cast frowns like thunderclouds. But careless of this, the sons of the Muses conduct them forward to the dancing-floor:
And all already dance like mad--Juchhe! Juchhe!Juchheisa! Heisa! Ha!So goes the fiddle-bow.
And all already dance like mad--Juchhe! Juchhe!Juchheisa! Heisa! Ha!So goes the fiddle-bow.
Faster and faster goes the music, and ever madder whirls the waltz. In complete equality and freedom seem here the most opposite elements to be mingled. The atmosphere is already smothering hot, and clouds of dost fly up. But that matters not. He that finds it too hot flings off his coat, and dances in his shirt sleeves; he that does not find the music keep time, helps it with the stamping of his foot. All seems totally happy--all unity. But the wine has, meantime, heated their heads, and suddenly in one corner of the hall rises a terrible hubbub. The strife has arisen about that maiden who, there weeping, endeavours to part the combatants. "What would the silly Knoten?" cries a student Then springs wrathfully forth a brisk tailor. "What be we? Knoten be we? dirt be we? Who says that, is an ass, and I say it!" A swarm of students that have rushed into the saloon raise a burst of hearty laughter. Then blazes the wrath of the Handwerksburschen; "Brother Hamburger! brother Leipsicer!" they cry. Numbers of them rush together, and strike with sticks, chair-legs, and bottles, at the little knot of students furiously, who grimly stand on their defence.
The Bursche shouts--
"Let each man arm himself like me, with sturdy stang,And chase unto destruction the beastly Lumpen gang."'Tis said and it is done! Bellona storms on high,And the battle is renewed with menace and reply.Zachariæ's Renommist.
"Let each man arm himself like me, with sturdy stang,And chase unto destruction the beastly Lumpen gang."'Tis said and it is done! Bellona storms on high,And the battle is renewed with menace and reply.
Zachariæ's Renommist.
But bravery must yield to multitudes.
They now begin to quit the bloody battle-field,Yet slowly draw they off, and scarcely seem to yield;And loath unto the base their noble backs to show,They whirl their last club at them, as from the ground they go.Ibid.
They now begin to quit the bloody battle-field,Yet slowly draw they off, and scarcely seem to yield;And loath unto the base their noble backs to show,They whirl their last club at them, as from the ground they go.
Ibid.
Even the fair ones have divided themselves into two parties, and one detachment wheels off with the overpowered body that they may enjoy the happiness of wandering homewards on the arm of the Bursche.
This burlesque student song on the Handwerksburschen is very descriptive of these scenes:
GOD GREET THEE, BROTHER STRAUBINGER.God greet thee, Brother Straubinger,I'am glad to meet thee though;Perhaps it is unknown to thee,That from Heidelberg I go.The master and the mistress,Of them I can't complain,But with these gents, the students,No mortal can contain.I lately bought me in the fair,A band, red, black, and golden,And hung my watch to it, that thereFrom falling 't might be holden.Fierce as a horse a Bursch appears,And at me right he batters;He dashed the watch about my ears,The riband tore to tatters.[23]And as I in the Faulen-Beltz[24]Was with my sweetheart sitting,He nicknamed me a Knotenpeltz,For such fat Besom fitting[25]As in the dance I whirled about,They 'gan to stamp and rumble;The Senius stretched his leg so out,[26]That I must o'er it tumble.I'll off by Zurich unto Berne,And there I think to stay, so;And if my sweetheart false should turn,She may write to me, and say so.I must be stupid as an ass,Or as three oxen, fully,If I should suffer such a passFrom this Studenten bully.
God greet thee, Brother Straubinger,
I'am glad to meet thee though;
Perhaps it is unknown to thee,
That from Heidelberg I go.
The master and the mistress,
Of them I can't complain,
But with these gents, the students,
No mortal can contain.
I lately bought me in the fair,
A band, red, black, and golden,
And hung my watch to it, that there
From falling 't might be holden.
Fierce as a horse a Bursch appears,
And at me right he batters;
He dashed the watch about my ears,
The riband tore to tatters.[23]
And as I in the Faulen-Beltz[24]
Was with my sweetheart sitting,
He nicknamed me a Knotenpeltz,
For such fat Besom fitting[25]
As in the dance I whirled about,
They 'gan to stamp and rumble;
The Senius stretched his leg so out,[26]
That I must o'er it tumble.
I'll off by Zurich unto Berne,
And there I think to stay, so;
And if my sweetheart false should turn,
She may write to me, and say so.
I must be stupid as an ass,
Or as three oxen, fully,
If I should suffer such a pass
From this Studenten bully.
We, in conclusion may mention among the summer pleasures of the student, the game at nine-pins, to which the son of Minerva devotes many an hour. Yet to describe the various kinds of this game, would prove, probably, a little wearisome. The student uses the same as all the other classes of people in Germany, and which are, perhaps, already familiar to the foreigner.
He who lives out of himself, always does better than he who lives in himself.Seume.
He who lives out of himself, always does better than he who lives in himself.
Seume.
Let us now devote a few pages to the pleasures of winter. If we give a distinguished place amongst these, to the amusements which the Museum, and many private circles afford, we must at the same time admit that particular circumstances prevent the students to any great extent seeking the latter. But as these circles are easy of access to the well-bred student even without letters of introduction, if he is at the pains to seek that introduction himself, we can by no means omit their mention. In the houses of professors and other leading families of the place, the student is hospitably received. Reading, music, social games, and the dance, here furnish an inexhaustible source of entertainment. Here he finds an opportunity to accomplish himself in social habits, and by polishing the rough outside to discover that solid interior which can best be strengthened and perfected by a union of active intercourse with knowledge; and who will deny that this desirable condition is alone to be attained by the society of refined and accomplished women?
With softest persuasion and gentlest prayers,The sceptre of manners sweet Woman still bears;Extinguishes discord, which ragingly glows--Teaches wild powers that malignantly fight.Themselves in her own lovely form to unite,And combines what in nature else separately flows.Schiller's Duties of Women.
With softest persuasion and gentlest prayers,The sceptre of manners sweet Woman still bears;Extinguishes discord, which ragingly glows--Teaches wild powers that malignantly fight.Themselves in her own lovely form to unite,And combines what in nature else separately flows.
Schiller's Duties of Women.
The student the more gladly joins these circles, as he is sure always to find some of his companions already there, for the dance-loving host continually recruits its members from the sons of Minerva. On the other hand, the Museum presents manifold points of contact between the students and higher classes of the inhabitants of the city. We again avail ourselves of some remarks exactly to the point, out of the Halle Year-Book. The author of the article says, "Heidelberg is only a city of moderate size, but it contains sufficient elements for a superior society. In the next place, it has formed itself into various small circles, into which also the student of good disposition and accordant taste readily procures admittance, and where he finds himself received with simple cordiality. Most of the professors, are very accessible to individual students, and throw in their way opportunities for a more close literary intimacy; many of them thereby frequently collect round them large social circles.
"In the next place, many English families, which have taken up their abode for a time in Heidelberg, offer desirable points of union to various lively social circles there; and with them vie other strangers, possessors of estates in the immediate vicinity of the city, amongst which in this respect is particularly well known the hospitable Stift Neuberg. Many of the substantial burgers of Heidelberg also endeavour to furnish those students that seek their acquaintance by letters of introduction, or otherwise, with the amenities of social exhilaration and improvement. These opportunities for a worthy enjoyment of life are accepted by a great part of the students in the best spirit, and to evident advantage. Walks in company and excursions into the surrounding country in summer, and musical entertainments in winter, bring the students into amalgamation with city society, subject their freedom of thought to the wholesome restraints of good manners, and give to their enjoyment of life at once scope and modification. But all these different circles find themselves included and brought together into a comprehensive social unity, in the Museum. This establishment founded as a joint-stock property by the inhabitants and professors of the city, is of high value both to the social life of Heidelberg in general, and in particular to the student world. For a moderate yearly subscription, the student becomes a member of this union, and through that a partaker of its social pleasures; enjoys the advantage of access to a rich collection of political, scientific, and literary periodicals, and new works; and is even entitled to a certain co-operation in the affairs of the union; a portion of the ball-directors, for instance, being elected from amongst them. The spacious and handsome suite of apartments in the Museum, which are always open to the members, give the most preferable opportunities to the students for having a common table, and for other social meetings, and by this means brings about a more extensive intimacy and acquaintance amongst these young people. But especially is the independent manner and estimation with which they see themselves received in such a union, an incentive to them to maintain this position with urbanity and moderation; and the social equality with their teachers which here prevails, far from diminishing their respect for them, serves only, through the confidence reposed in them, to elevate and ennoble them. Inconceivable is the auspicious influence of the Museum on the conduct of the students, and their good understanding with the professors, and with the whole of the best society of the city; and the cases are rare in which any one by a wanton disturbance of the general enjoyment, loses sight of that discretion which the company expects from him. Truly not all the students have the taste for these nobler social pleasures, which are offered to them in so friendly and disinterested a manner. They who regard the established rules of social manners as a restraint, incompatible with the enjoyment of their academical freedom, seek less select circles, where such rules are more freely dispensed with. The society of the middle classes of Heidelberg, though decent and lively, yet wants that higher finish which elevates the young man, while it compels him to watchfulness over himself. The student feels himself above the society of such circles, and, as only too frequently happens, he makes them feel his superiority in an unbecoming manner, making them the butts of his wit, and the objects of his wanton humours. The Heidelberg citizens have had repeated occasion to rue this overbearing spirit of the students, and they have never, and can never be able to establish a more satisfactory and secure relationship with such society."
But the life of a large city comes near enough to the Heidelberg students. The Mannheim theatre is chiefly filled by persons from Heidelberg; the saloons of Mannheim society, in which the exclusiveness of English high life, and of German aristocracy, appear softened by French urbanity and South-German good-nature, are not impassable to him; and the more favoured may, in the little court of the widowed Grand Duchess Stephanie, become acquainted with the fine yet easy manners of a circle distinguished by birth and accomplishment.
Many a romance weaves itself here in the intercourse of the social circles--in the crowd of the ball-room; and strong chains of love often become fabricated, which conduct the maiden far from the walls of Heidelberg, and teach her to forget, on a distant hearth, her beautiful native home. If on a lovely summer's night we linger late on the castle height, we often, as we return, become the partakers of the enjoyment of a serenade, the offering which a son of Minerva brings to show to his chosen one his watchfulness. At a distance we listen to a beautiful song, whose delivery, full of tenderness and feeling, is supported by the accompaniment of a guitar.
TRUE LOVE.When in the gloomy midnight deepMy solitary watch I keep,I think on her I left behind,And ask is she still true and kind.When I was forced to march away,How warm a kiss she gave that day;With ribands bright my cap she drest,And clasped me to her faithful breast.She loves me well, to me is kind,Therefore I keep a cheerful mind:Through coldest nights my bosom glowsWhene'er on her my thoughts repose.Now by the dim lamp's feeble light,Perchance upon thy bed to-nightThy thoughts to thy beloved are given,With nightly prayer for him to Heaven!O, if thou weep'st by grief distressed,To think of me with danger prest,Be calm, God keeps me every where,A faithful soldier is his care!
When in the gloomy midnight deepMy solitary watch I keep,I think on her I left behind,And ask is she still true and kind.
When I was forced to march away,How warm a kiss she gave that day;With ribands bright my cap she drest,And clasped me to her faithful breast.
She loves me well, to me is kind,Therefore I keep a cheerful mind:Through coldest nights my bosom glowsWhene'er on her my thoughts repose.
Now by the dim lamp's feeble light,Perchance upon thy bed to-nightThy thoughts to thy beloved are given,With nightly prayer for him to Heaven!
O, if thou weep'st by grief distressed,To think of me with danger prest,Be calm, God keeps me every where,A faithful soldier is his care!
Or we follow with insatiate ear the accord which sends to us through the stillness of the night a full concert of wind music. There, under the window, see we scattered light glimmer, and by degrees perceive the separate music-desks, round which the dark figures have ranged themselves. But the third piece is ended, and all sinks back into the stillness of night. Many a son of the Muses is detained in Ruperto-Carolo, fast bound by bonds of gentle witchcraft, till the father's stern behest compels him to tear himself from this paradise.
THE DEPARTURE.What rings and what sings in the streets so down there?Open the windows, ye maids so fair.'Tis the Bursche, away he windeth,The Comitat him attendeth.The others go shouting and wave their hats round,With ribands and flowers all glowingly crowned;But the Burschè, he loves not this riot,In the centre goes pale and quiet.Loud clash now the tankards, bright sparkles the wine,"Drink out, and again drink, dear brother mine!""With the farewell-wine there outfloweth,What so deep in my heart now gloweth."The very last house which they go by--A maiden looks down from the window so high;Fain hides she her tearful gushesWith wallflowers rich and sweet rose-bushes.The very last house that they go byThe Burschè there lifteth up his eye;Then sinks it, his pain betraying,--His hand on his heart now laying."Sir Brother! and hast thou then no bouquet?See, flowers there are nodding and waving so gay!Hillo! thou loveliest dear one,--Of thy nosegays now fling us here one!"'Ye Brothers! what can that nosegay do?I now have no loving Liebschen like you.In the sun it will droop and wither;--The wind blow it hither and thither!'And farther and farther with clang and song!And sadly listens that maiden long."O, wo! and the youth removeth,Whom only my heart still loveth.--"Here stand I, ah! in my love profound,With roses and with wallflowers around--And he for whom all I would sever,He's gone--and gone for ever!"
What rings and what sings in the streets so down there?Open the windows, ye maids so fair.'Tis the Bursche, away he windeth,The Comitat him attendeth.
The others go shouting and wave their hats round,With ribands and flowers all glowingly crowned;But the Burschè, he loves not this riot,In the centre goes pale and quiet.
Loud clash now the tankards, bright sparkles the wine,"Drink out, and again drink, dear brother mine!""With the farewell-wine there outfloweth,What so deep in my heart now gloweth."
The very last house which they go by--A maiden looks down from the window so high;Fain hides she her tearful gushesWith wallflowers rich and sweet rose-bushes.
The very last house that they go byThe Burschè there lifteth up his eye;Then sinks it, his pain betraying,--His hand on his heart now laying.
"Sir Brother! and hast thou then no bouquet?See, flowers there are nodding and waving so gay!Hillo! thou loveliest dear one,--Of thy nosegays now fling us here one!"
'Ye Brothers! what can that nosegay do?I now have no loving Liebschen like you.In the sun it will droop and wither;--The wind blow it hither and thither!'
And farther and farther with clang and song!And sadly listens that maiden long."O, wo! and the youth removeth,Whom only my heart still loveth.--
"Here stand I, ah! in my love profound,With roses and with wallflowers around--And he for whom all I would sever,He's gone--and gone for ever!"
So marches he forth, and--"other cities, other maidens!"
If the stranger suffer himself, by his hunger after fresh air, to be led away, in the days of a strong winter, to the hills above Heidelberg, how monotonous and wild appears to him there nature in her funeral robes. The mountains, the valleys, all wrapt in that white winding sheet, are silent. From a distance only comes a heavy sound, as the ice-covering of the Neckar is heaved and rifted by the combating flood that rushes beneath it. That feeling of solitude seizes him, and he follows the course of a small stream which will, however, conduct him again to the banks of the Neckar. The water, whose course he has followed, has wonderfully wrought the leaves and the grass into fantastical ice-forms; while, above him, hang from the rocks enormous icicles, glittering in the wintry light like crystal daggers. Again he finds himself by the mirror-like surface of the wintry flood, and behold! the uniformity of nature has only enabled man to multiply his pleasures. A glad multitude here is full of life and activity. With delight the eye follows the skilful skater, as he now, with wonderful rapidity flies right forward, now winds in graceful sweeps and circles through the human mass. He moves so freely and easily, that his art would appear quite destitute of art, did we not see the learner in his first attempts tumbling at every trial, till exhausted, he stands and watches, with envious eye, the evolutions of the practised student. The ice-field becomes every moment fuller and fuller, till the strongly congealed surface can scarcely support the hundreds which crowd upon it. And there comes a troop of blooming ladies, hastening down the steep bank of the Neckar. They descend the narrow path, slippery with frozen snow, cautiously, and a troop of their worshippers fly to receive them, place them triumphantly in the chair-sledges, and pushing them before them, vie with each other in sending them, with flying speed, over the crystal ice-plain far away.
Nothing can well make so vivid an impression on the foreigner, especially on the Englishman, as the sledging processions, which, as soon as the snow is trodden hard enough to bear, may be daily seen issuing from Heidelberg. Sometimes we see individual sledges, which are of striking appearance, gliding rapidly through the streets; then greater sledge-parties, which the students make amongst themselves, or in association with some of the inhabitants. A troop of fore-riders, with the thundering cracks of their heavy whips, announce the approach of the sledge of the lady of honour, drawn by four horses. Then follows a long train of sledges, each with two horses, and each containing only one lady and gentleman. These sledge-parties afford much amusement to the students, and opportunities for many a frolic, and the Chores vie in outshining each other in ingeniously planned and splendidly achieved processions. In earlier times masked sledge-parties were the order of the day; but, in consequence of many well-known and distinguished individuals of the university city being represented, or rather misrepresented, they are now formally forbidden. Even the ladies, and the venerable heads of the senate, were not secure from the caricaturing of the students. Thus a stranger related to me, with great horror, that he had met a great company of ladies and gentlemen in sledges; all the ladies had wafted to him hand-kisses, and,horribile dictu!at the very next confectioner's, the ladies, with evident delight, had each drunk a glass of brandy!
We recollect a winter, some years ago, that was particularly distinguished by these pranks. In the first place, one of the Chores set out a sledge procession, which was imposing from the number of its sledges and the brilliance of its torches, which were carried by the whole assembled body of Boot-foxes. But this was speedily cast into the shade by another. The second Chore celebrated a Bauer's wedding, riding and driving in numerous sledges, in the Sunday attire of Bauers and Bauerinen, the country people and their wives, old and young, masked, into a neighbouring village, the sledge of the feigned bride and bridegroom being richly garlanded, and there, this fictitious pair--a couple of disguised students--were solemnly conducted through the ceremony of a marriage. A third Chore then, in order to strike out something more piquant, undertook a voyage by land. A number of Neckar boats were secured on sledges. They were all bravely rigged and equipped with sails, masts, and cordage, and sailors were in full activity, each crew zealous to maintain the honour of their ship. Some of them were seen with huge spy-glasses looking out ahead in the streets, to descry any dangerous rocks that might lie in their track, which might obstruct or fatally terminate their voyage. And behold! all was suddenly at a stand--the sign of a Beer-Kneip was the rock on which they struck. All hands were now busy in trying to rescue the ship from this perilous situation, and the way they went to work was to blow it with a vast number of pairs of bellows, in order to send a very tempest of wind into the sails. The captain gave his commands, in masterly style, through his huge speaking-trumpet, and at length the vessel heaved off, and all was quickly again under sail, the whole body singing--
THE GALLANT SHIP IS GOING.The gallant ship is going,The strong east wind is blowing,The far-off fading strandShows no longer,Yet glows strongerLove unto my native land.Billows dark blue foaming,Tell me, are ye comingFrom that dear distant strand?Let them flow then,Since they go thenBack unto my native land!And as the billow breaks there,Love's heart and ear yet wakes there;O speed to her away!Kindly meet her,Kindly greet her?For of me you've much to say!Seas from thee may tear me,But my thoughts still bear meTo thee in that dear land;What I sing now,Winds shall wing now,Till it reach that far-off strand.When high the waves are rearing,And wild the storm's careering,Then think I but on thee;Who dost change not,Who dost range not,And no storms can trouble me!All the songs I yet may sing thee,Other, nearer winds shall wing thee,Soon the port will lie in view;These I'll sing thee,These I'll bring thee,And with them a heart that's true!
The gallant ship is going,The strong east wind is blowing,
The far-off fading strand
Shows no longer,Yet glows stronger
Love unto my native land.
Billows dark blue foaming,Tell me, are ye coming
From that dear distant strand?
Let them flow then,Since they go then
Back unto my native land!
And as the billow breaks there,Love's heart and ear yet wakes there;
O speed to her away!
Kindly meet her,Kindly greet her?
For of me you've much to say!
Seas from thee may tear me,But my thoughts still bear me
To thee in that dear land;
What I sing now,Winds shall wing now,
Till it reach that far-off strand.
When high the waves are rearing,And wild the storm's careering,
Then think I but on thee;
Who dost change not,Who dost range not,
And no storms can trouble me!
All the songs I yet may sing thee,Other, nearer winds shall wing thee,
Soon the port will lie in view;
These I'll sing thee,These I'll bring thee,
And with them a heart that's true!
Another winter the luxury of this amusement had advanced so far that, from beginning at first with one horse, the students had now arrived at having from six to eight in each sledge, and the academical senate felt itself called upon to put a stop to this extravagant proceeding. It forbade them in future to sledge with so many horses. What a set-out was seen the next day! An old superannuated hack was harnessed to the most miserable sledge that the city could furnish, and dragged it along with the last remains of his strength. In this neat equipage were packed together a dozen students, almost upon one another's shoulders; and if the wretched beast, scarcely capable of putting one foot beyond another, was disposed to stand still, he was urged to further exertion by a horribly ugly, humpbacked, and limping ostler, going before him, and holding before his nose a most fragrant and ravishing lock of hay. At length they reached the first inn, where they called for a choppin of beer, had it divided into twelve glasses, and thus, with about a spoonful each, attempted to quench their thirst. Here they were encountered by the inexorable beadle, or poodle, as they style him, and commanded to withdraw so flagrant a satire on the worshipful senate's decree. On the following day a modest sledge was drawn slowly through the street where this stern enforcer of academical laws resided, in which sate a poodle, whose mouth a student held close with his hand, while another offered him a crown dollar. Not content with this significant emblem, which held up theofficialpoodle to suspicion, as though he too might have his mouth stopped by a sufficient motive, in the evening came a crowd of boys, following, in wonder, two students, who, to avoid falling under the stringent restrictions of the senate, had adopted a new mode of sledging. One lay down on his back sledgeways, and being drawn to some distance, by his legs, by his companion; then arose, and drew his comrade in the same fashion, the whole being attended by a train of torches, so that all the world might see it. But enough of these mad pranks; these were in past times. The sons of the Muses are now contented to distinguish their sledging-parties by their numbers rather than their extravagance, and instead of writhing under senatorial restraints, put on themselves, the pleasant restraint of reason and good taste, and furnishing a holiday spectacle to the city, enjoy themselves a day of social hilarity.
We have stated that after dinner the student seeks his coffeehouse, and is not ashamed with a billiard party or with a game of cards to kill an hour or two. The last amusement particularly will many of them only too passionately pursue; and indeed Play, at the bank, as in Wiesbaden, or Baden-Baden, whither they make excursions, has plunged many of them already into great trouble. The student has invented many games at cards, which are played, partly for money, partly for beer, and bear peculiar names, as Cerevies, Pereat, Schlauch, etc. When the student has in the evening visited his kneip, whither we will presently join him, he has then brought his day's work famously to a close, and the reader will join in the chorus when he sings--
Thus we students,--you may see so,--Daily fun-fall, blithe, uproarious,Burschen ever, could it be so!For the Bursche is ever glorious!
Thus we students,--you may see so,--
Daily fun-fall, blithe, uproarious,
Burschen ever, could it be so!
For the Bursche is ever glorious!