but he knew how to put on the armour, or rather the motley jacket, of his predecessor so very well, to adapt himself with such humour to his gestures, that he was certain to obtain applause from those who were interested in such matters.
The absurdities of the clowns especially constituted our whole happiness; and we praised Lenz as a favoured man, when he succeeded in rendering as follows the epitaph on the deer shot by the princess:
"Die schöne Princessin schoss und traf
Eines jungen Hirschleins Leben;
Es fiel dahin in schweren Schlaf
Und wird ein Brätlein geben.
Der Jagdhund boll! Ein L zu Hirsch
So wird es denn ein Hirschel;
Doch setzt ein römisch L zu Hirsch
So macht es fünfzig Hirschel.
Ich mache hundert Hirsche draus
Schreib Hirschell mit zwei LLen."[1]
The tendency toward the absurd, which is displayed freely and unrestrictedly in youth, but afterward recedes more into the background, without being on that account utterly lost, was in full bloom among us; and we sought, even by original jests, to celebrate our great master. We were very proud when we could lay before the company something of the kind, which was
- ↑ The lines in Shakespeare, which the above are intended to imitate, are the following:Lenz's words, which cannot be rendered intelligibly into English, furnish an instance of Goethe's meaning, when he commends Lenz as happily catching the spirit of the original, without the slightest pretence to accuracy.— Trans.
"The praiseful princess pierced and pricked a pretty pleasing pricket;
Some say a sore; but not a sore, till now made sore with shooting.
The dogs did yell; put l to sore, then sorel jumps from thicket;
Or pricket, sore, or else sorel; the people fall a-hooting.
If sore be sore, then l to sore makes fifty sores; O sore l!
Of one sore I a hundred make, by adding but one more l."
