[1] Witness Le Tasse, Drame par Duval, and the Criticisms on it. See also the Essays in the Globe, Nos. 55, 64 (1826).
[2] A chief judge or magistrate of the town.
[3] An old silver coin.
[4] A pun upon the name of Ochsenstein.— Trans.
[5] The Messiah is written in hexameter verse.—Trans.
[6] The obsolete word, "gossip," has been revived as an equivalent for the German, "gevatter." But it should be observed that this word not only signifies godfather, but that the person whose child has another person for godfather (or godmother) is that person's gevatter, or gevatterin (feminine).
[7] A German proverb, "Heute roth, Morgen todt."
[8] The names of the sharp notes in German terminate in "is," and hence "f" and "g" sharp are called "fis" and "gis."
[9] These are the technical names for classes of accents in the Hebrew grammar.—TRANS.
[10] It should be observed, that in this biblical narrative, when we have used the expressions, "Deity," "Godhead," or "Divinity," Goethe generally has "die Götter," or "the Gods."—TRANS.
[11] Every kingdom divided against itself shall be brought to desolation, for the princes thereof have become the associates of robbers.—TRANS.
[12] Racine's tragedy.—TRANS.
[13] Eyes, not hands.—TRANS.
[14] That is to say, he was a Calvinist, as distinguished from a Lutheran.— TRANS.
[15] The diminutive of Margaret.—TRANS.
[16] That is to say, a poem written for a certain occasion, as a wedding, funeral, etc. The German word is Gelegenheitsgedicht."—TRANS.
[17] The "new Abelard" is St. Preux, in the Nouvelle Héloise of Rousseau.—TRANS.
[18] A class of attendants dress in Hungarian costume.—TRANS.
[19] A sort of buffoon.
[20] This word, which signifies something like our "bully," is specially used to designate a fighting student.—TRANS.
[21] Literally, "to strike two flies with one flapper."—TRANS.
[22] The river on which Halle is built.—TRANS.
[23] The river near Leipzig.—TRANS.
[24] Leipzig was so called, because a large and influential portion of its citizens were sprung from a colony of Huguenots, who settled there after the revocation of the edict of Nantes.—American Note.
[25] That is to say, the influence of Gottsched on German literature, of which more is said in the next book.—TRANS.
[26] Die Laune des Verliebten, translated as The Lover's Caprice, see p. 241.
[27] "Exposition," in a dramatic sense, properly means a statement of the events which take place before the action of the play commences.—TRANS.
[28] The real meaning of the passage is, that the idiom "Possen reissen" is used also with the university word "Suite," so that one can say "Suiten reissen."—TRANS.
[29] The lecture-room. The word is also used in university language to denote a professor's audience.
[30] The humor of the above consists, not in the thoughts, but in the particular words employed. These have no remarkable effect in English, as to us the words of Latin origin are often as familiar as those which have Teutonic roots; and these form the chief peculiarity of the style. We have therefore given the poem in the original language, with the peculiar words (as indicated by Goethe) in Italics, and subjoin a literal translation. It will be observed that we have said that the peculiarity consists chiefly, not solely, in the use of the foreign words; for there are two or three instances of unquestionably German words, which are Italicized on account of their high-sounding pomp. "O Hendel, whose fame extends from south to north, hear the paean which ascends to thine ears! Thou bakest that which Gauls and Britons industriously seek, (thou bakest) with creative genius original cakes. The ocean of coffee which pours itself out before thee is sweeter than the juice which flows from Hymettus. Thy house, a monument, how we reward the arts, hung round with trophies, tells the nations: 'Even without a diadem, Hendel formed his fortune here, and robbed the Cothurnus of many an eight-groschen-piece.' When thy urn shines hereafter in majestic pomp, then will the patriot weep at thy catacomb. But live! let thy bed (torus) be the nest of a noble brood, stand high as Olympus, and firm as Parnassus. May no phalanx of Greece with Roman ballistoe be able to destroy Germania and Hendel. Thy weal is our pride, thy woe our pain, and Hendel's temple is the heart of the sons of the Muses."-TRANS.
[31] Bildende und Redende Kunst." The expression "speaking art" is used to produce a corresponding antithesis, though "belles-lettres would be the ordinary rendering.—TRANS.
[32] "Pratische Philosophen, bewusstlose Weltweisen." It is impossible to give two substantives, as in the original, since this is effected by using first the word of Greek, then the word of German origin, whereas we have but one.—TRANS.
[33] Winckelmann was assassinated.—TRANS.
[34] "Das Werden," the state of becoming, as distinguished from that of being. The word, which is most useful to the Germans, can never be rendered properly in English.—TRANS.
[35] If we could make use of some such verbs as "inself" and "unself," we should more accurately render this passage.—TRANS.
[36] A repetent is one of a class of persons to be found in the German universities, and who assist students in their studies. They are somewhat analogous to the English tutors, but not precisely: for the latter render their aid before the recitation; while the repetent repeats with the student, in private, the lectures he has previously heard from the professor. Hence his name, which might be rendered repeater, had we any corresponding class of men in England or America, which would justify an English word.—American Note.
[37] A "murki" is defined as an old species of short composition for the harpsichord, with a lively murmuring accompaniment in the bass.—TRANS.