Das landhaus am Rhein. English

by Berthold Auerbach

  EXTRACTS OF LETTERS FROM AND TO THE NEW WORLD.

  [Eric to his Mother.]

  On board the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

  Our ship bears the name which my father always uttered with peculiarfervor.

  My mother!

  I am transformed into a life full of novel excitement. I have seen thesea for the first time. Now I am living upon it, and I seem to bewriting to you from another world.

  A joyful event ushered us out of the Fatherland.

  As we drew near the shore, on the first evening, I espied a broad,benevolent, comfortable-looking man, at the window of the corner-houseat the landing. He bowed to me, I returned the salutation, but did notrecognize him. But when we were on board, he came up to us; it wasMaster Ferdinand, whom I had helped out at the musical festival.

  I quickly told him our story, and he, with a despatch which could onlyhave been inspired by disinterested kindness, collected his fellowartists, together with some cultivated amateurs of the town, and wesang and played far into the night.

  With music in our souls we left the Rhine,--we left Germany.

  Manna and Roland will write to you themselves; they are now on deck,reading the Odyssey: it is the only thing one ought to read here. Allmovement on the highways on shore, all household interests andsurroundings, seem far removed.

  Such a ship is a world in itself.

  Herr Knopf, too, has had a wonderful meeting. He is writing to theMajor: get him to show you the letter. One thing more I must tell youabout.

  We reached Liverpool at evening, and intended to rest there a day. Onthe next morning I was standing alone, looking at the harbor, andthinking how Liverpool was the first English port in which slave-shipswere fitted out, when I was roused from my reverie over the changingevents of history, by seeing an outward-bound vessel weighing anchor.On the deck stood a man, who, I cannot doubt, was Sonnenkamp. He nowwears a full beard; but I recognized him in spite of it. He has eitherbeen in Europe all the time, or else has returned here. He seemed torecognize me, took off his broad-brimmed hat, beckoned to some one, anda figure appeared which I could not recognize with certainty, but Ithink it was Bella.

  I learned from the brother-masons, to whom Weidmann had given me aletter of introduction, that a man quite answering to the descriptionof Sonnenkamp, was sending a shipload of arms and ammunition to someSouthern port.

  I dare not think how terrible, at this juncture, a meeting would havebeen.

  Strangely enough, as I was walking with Manna at noon, through thecity, she said to me: "I feel as if I must meet father here. I keepthinking he will come round some corner, on one side or the other!" Ido not think I have done wrong in not telling her of what I saw.

  Most agonizing is the thought that, perhaps, father and son may fightagainst each other in opposing armies. My consolation is, thatSonnenkamp, being an old sailor, will probably enter the navy.

  Roland is the darling of the whole ship. He is indefatigably zealous tolearn about the arrangement of the vessel, and about all the duties ofthe crew. He is busy with them first in one place, then in another, andI am glad to see that, by this means, all his hard thinking andspeculation are driven away.

  We have favoring winds.

  Very merry, too, is the chirping and singing of the birds that Claushas brought with him. The blackbird strikes an attitude on her perch,like that of a renowned singer on the stage, looks coquettishly roundon the bystanders, and sings her "Rejoice in your life." You know shenever gets beyond that: but we like to have it said and sung to us:"Rejoice in your life."

  On the second evening out.

  Now it is night. Manna is alone on deck, looking at the stars. What awondrous world! Overhead the innumerable stars, and around us theboundless sea. I feel as if I must, on this voyage, let all hardthinking, reflection, and speculation take wings and fly away, in orderthat I may tread the soil of the New World as simply a man of resoluteaction. There has always been a vein of romance running through my lifeand nature. What is it that leads me thither, to stake my whole beingin a great crisis of human history? No longer to be a mere spectator,but to act, to live, and, perhaps--no, mother, an inward assurancetells me I shall come home alive from this conflict.

  Home! Home! Oh, mother, my soul wings its way across to it, over theboundless billows of life: we are with you, and Villa Eden makes trueits name. And yet, if Fate has otherwise decreed, be firm: your son hasbeen perfectly happy; he has enjoyed all the fulness of life. I havehad you, father, Manna, knowledge, pure aspirations, action. All hasbeen mine.

  Here I sit, and the billows bear me on. We rise and fall with thewaves, and well for him who feels, as I now do, that the goal at whichhe aims is a good one.

  It seems as if your hand were on my brow: I am well and free. And,oddly enough, I see myself in my mind's eye, transported to theUniversity town again. Now it is evening; in the parlor at the "Post,"the regular guests are seated, who meet there every evening, though, intruth, they cannot endure each other. They sit round a table coveredwith black oil-cloth, with their glasses before them, discussing theaffairs of the world, telling anecdotes, and hoaxing one another, andthen the talk turns upon that unsteady adventurer, Doctor Dournay. I ama fruitful theme for them. Tall Professor Whitehead lights a match, andsays with satisfaction, "I always knew he would desert Science," andthen the everlasting "Extraordinary" says--Enough! I was once onanother planet, and believed myself at home there.

  * * * * *

  I have not written for five days, and now, mother, the man who iswriting to you has been, with his nearest and dearest, in the jaws ofdeath.

  We have lived through a storm such as our captain, a seaman ofthree-and-twenty years experience, has never seen before.

  I must confess, I was not among the brave. And, in the midst of thetempest,--such is the double-action of the soul,--I could not helpoften thinking of the everlasting "Extraordinary," at the long table inthe Post, speaking of my death, and lamenting his having abandonedpoetical composition: our end would have made a fine subject. Thecoolest in the midst of the storm were Roland and Knopf. The latter,however, was not with us, but on the forward deck with his betrothed.Manna held me clasped in her arms. We wished to die together.

  Oh, why should I recount our dangers? They are past. Now that we aresafe, we talk of them no more.

  On the next morning, when the sky was so clear, and the sea so calm, wecelebrated a betrothal on board. It was friend Knopf who was betrothed;he will write you a more detailed account of it all. The cask of virginwine, which had been given to us, was shared among the crew on thatday. The Rhine poured joy into the veins of us all.

  There was singing, dancing, jubilation. All the flags were hoisted, andat table friend Knopf made an address no less amusing than touching. Ibelieve he is going to send Fraeulein Milch his speech. We had music,too; Knopf played the flute, and persuaded Manna to bring her harp ondeck. All the passengers and the sailors stood around her withsuspended breath, and, when she had ended, shouted and huzzaed.

  In three days we shall each land; I do not know whether I shall writeagain till then; my first step on the soil of the New World will be tosend you this letter, unless we should meet, on the way, some vesselwhich will take it to Europe.

  To Europe!

  I feel raised so high above the world, that it seems as if I could playwith whole continents.

  Be joyful in thinking of your happy son,

  ERIC.