The poems of Heine; Complete. Heinrich Heine

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СКАЧАТЬ why are thy cheeks so pallid?

       Wherefore is thine eye so darksome?”—

       “And Ramiro?”—stammers Clara,

       And her tongue is mute with horror.

      But with deep and solemn wrinkles

       Is the bridegroom’s brow now furrow’d:

       “Lady, bloody news why seek’st thou?

       This day’s noontide died Ramiro.”

      10. BELSHAZZAR.

      The midnight hour was coming on,

       In deathlike calm lay Babylon.

      But in the monarch’s castle high

       Held the monarch’s attendants gay revelry.

      And in the regal hall upstairs

       A regal feast Belshazzar shares.

      The servants in glittering circles recline,

       And empty the goblets of sparkling wine.

      The servants are shouting, the goblets ring,

       Delighting the heart of the ruthless king.

      The king’s cheeks feel a ruddy glow,

       The wine doth swell his ardour so.

      And blindly led on by his ardour’s wiles,

       The Godhead with blasphemous words he reviles.

      And wildly he curses and raves aloud,

       Approvingly bellow the serving crowd.

      The king commands with a look that burns,

       The servant hastens and soon returns.

      Many golden vessels he bears on his head,

       The spoils of Jehovah’s temple dread.

      And the monarch straight seized on a sacred cup

       With impious hand, and fill’d it up.

      And down to the dregs he drains it fast,

       And with foaming mouth exclaims at last:

      “Jehovah, thy power I here defy,

       The King of Babylon am I.”

      But scarcely had sounded the fearful word,

When the heart of the king with terror was stirr’d.

      The yelling laughter is silenced all,

       And deathlike silence fills the hall.

      And see! And see! On the wall so white

       A human hand appears in sight.

      And letters of flame on the wall so white

       It wrote, and wrote, and vanish’d from sight.

      The king the writing with wonderment sees,

       As pale as death, and with trembling knees.

      The awestruck servants sat around,

       And silent sat, and utter’d no sound.

      The magicians appear’d, but none ’mongst them all

       Could rightly interpret the words on the wall.

      But Belshazzar the king the selfsame night

       Was slain by his servants—a ghastly sight.

      11. THE MINNESINGERS.

      In the minstrels’ strife engaging

       Pass the Minnesingers by;

       Strange the war that they are waging,

       Strange the tourney where they vie.

      Fancy, that for battle nerves him,

       Is the Minnesinger’s steed;

       Art as trusty buckler serves him,

       And his word’s a sword indeed.

      Beauteous dames, with glances pleasant,

       From the balcony look down;

       But the right one is not present

       With the proper laurel crown.

      Other combatants, when springing

       To the lists, at least are sound;

       Minnesingers must be bringing

       To the fray a deadly wound.

      He from whom the most there draineth

       Song’s blood from the inmost breast—

       He is victor, and obtaineth

       From fair lips the praise most blest,

12. LOOKING FROM THE WINDOW.

      Fair Hedwig lay at the window, to see

       If pale Henry would chance to detect her;

       She said half aloud: “Why goodness me!

       The man is as pale as a spectre!”

      With yearning pale Henry look’d above

       At her window, in hopes to detect her;

       Fair Hedwig now felt the torments of love,

       And she became pale as a spectre.

      Love-sick, now stood fair Hedwig all day

       At her window, lest he should reject her;

       But soon in pale Henry’s arms she lay

       All night, at the time for a spectre.

      13. THE WOUNDED KNIGHT.

      I know a story of anguish,

       A tale of the times of old;

       A knight with love doth languish,

       His mistress is faithless and cold.

      As faithless must he esteem now

       СКАЧАТЬ