Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia. L. Muhlbach

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ jubilant hymns, if I thought that my torture would be useful to my country. Now, I can only sing, only pray, only weep. But who knows whether I shall not become one day a modern Mucius Scaevola, a modern Moeros, and deliver the world from its tyrant?"

      And suddenly raising his voice, with a radiant face, he began to sing:

      Frisch auf! Es ruft das Vaterland

       Die Männer in die Schlacht.

       Frisch auf! Zu dämpfen Trug und Schand!

       Heran mit Macht, mit Macht!

       Heran und braucht den Männerleib,

       Wozu ihn Gott gebaut:

       Zum Schirm der Jungfrau und dem Weib,

       Dem Säugling und der Braut!

      Denn ein Tyrann mit Lügenwort

       Und Strick und Henkerschwert,

       Uebt in dem Vaterlande Mord,

       Und schändet Thron und Heerd,

       Und will, so weit die Sonne scheint

       Der einz'ge König sein;

       Ein Menschenfeind, ein Freiheitsfeind,

       Spricht er: die Welt ist mein!

      Verhüt' es Gott und Hermann's Blut!

       Nie werde solches wahr!

       Erwache, alter deutscher Muth,

       Der Recht und Licht gebar!

       Erwache! sonder Rast und Ruh,

       Schlag' Jeden der dir droht,

       Und ruf' ihm deutsche Losung zu:

       "Sieg gelt' es, oder Tod!"[7]

      "Victory or death!" shouted the two officers, raising their hands and eyes toward heaven.

      "When will the Germans sing and act in this manner?" asked Count Pückler, sadly.

      "When we have awakened them!" exclaimed Schill, joyfully. "For that is now our only task: to arouse the Germans, and to remind them of their duty and honor. Every one ought to raise his voice for this purpose, and toil for it. The time is past when the nation was separated from the army, and when the civilian hated the soldier. All these separate interests we buried yesterday on the battle-fields of Jena and Auerstadt. Heaven permitted our army to be defeated for the purpose of teaching us that its heart was demoralized and its vitality entirely gone. But Bonaparte, who believes his successes to be due solely to his own energy and sagacity, is, after all, nothing but the scourge that God uses to chastise us. And, after chastising us sufficiently, the scourge will be cast aside, and lie on the ground, trampled under foot and despised, while we shall rise and become again a glorious nation. But, in order to bring about this change, it is necessary to arouse the Prussians, and fan the flames of their patriotism. Every Prussian must feel and know that he is a soldier of the grand army which we shall one day place in the field against the so-called grand army of Napoleon, and, when the call of 'Rally round the flag!' resounds, he must take up the sword, and proudly feel that the holy vengeance of the fatherland is placed in his hands."

      "But suppose there is no one to utter the cry of 'Rally round the flag!' how are the people to appear and take up arms?"

      "We are there, and we shall exhort the people to arms!" said Schill, energetically. "Henceforth, we must not wait until the generals call us; we ourselves must be generals, and organize armies—every one after his own fashion—according to his influence. We must travel over the country, and enlist recruits. As we have no standing army, we must form independent corps, and, by means of raids, harass and molest the enemy. The strongest lion succumbs when stung by many bees. Every Prussian must turn conspirator, and prevail on his neighbor to join the great conspiracy; secret leagues and clubs must be instituted everywhere, and work and agitate until we are united like one man, and, with the resistless power of our holy wrath, expel the tyrant who enslaves us!"

      "Yes, you are right; we must not give way to timid despondency, but hope and dare every thing. Every one must become a general, and enlist troops, to attack the enemy whenever and wherever he can!"

      "I shall also enlist my troops, and lead them against the enemy," exclaimed Staps, with sparkling eyes. "But my troops will not be made of flesh and blood. They will be the songs I sing, and one day I shall march out with them, and challenge the tyrant to mortal combat! Yes, you are right in saying, 'Every one must fight after his own fashion, and according to his power and influence;' let me fight, too, after my fashion!"

      "Go and fight, and may the blessings of all the brave follow you!" said Schill, placing his hand on the head of the youth. "Let us take here, under the German oak, a solemn oath that we will devote our fortunes, our lives, and our sacred honor, to the fatherland!"

      "Yes," exclaimed Pückler and Staps, "we will take that oath!"

      "Let us," said Schill, "then swear to strive for nothing but to deliver Germany from the grasp of the tyrant."

      "We swear," continued Schill, "to regard ourselves from this hour as soldiers of the grand army one day to battle for our liberties—to leave nothing undone in enlisting fresh troops—that our life shall be nothing but an inexorable and never-flagging struggle against the usurper—that we will rather die than submit. We vow vengeance against him, and deliverance to the fatherland!"

      When all had repeated this oath, Schill said, solemnly, "The German oak has heard our words, and they are registered on high; now, my friends, let us go and enter into a new life—a new future. Let us take care of the body, in order to impart strength to the mind to carry out its schemes. Come, let us go!"

      They passed on, and soon reached the village, guided by Staps to the parsonage.

      The clergyman joyfully received the officers; his wife prepared her best rooms for them, and pledged herself, like her husband, to protect them at the risk of her life, if French soldiers should arrive, and search the house for wounded Prussians.

      "Now you are safe, and I can go," said Frederick Staps, when he was again alone with his friends, their host having withdrawn to prepare every thing that was necessary for the comfort of his guests. "I cannot stay here any longer, for I have promised my father to proceed without delay to Leipsic, and I must keep my pledge to him, as I shall keep it to you. Farewell, friends; may God protect you, and may your deeds fill the world with your glory, so that the poor merchant's apprentice in Leipsic may also hear of it!"

      "The poor merchant's apprentice is also a soldier of our grand army of the future," said Schill; "we have enlisted him, and he will go and fulfil his duty to his fatherland."

      "Yes, you may depend on it he will do his duty," exclaimed Staps, "and you will hear of him one day. Farewell, and, please God! we shall meet again!"

      "Yes, we shall meet again," said the two officers, cordially shaking hands with the youth, and taking leave of him.

      Staps left the room hastily. When he turned round once more at the door, and greeted the friends with a nod, they saw that his eyes were filled with tears.

      The clergyman's wife now entered to serve up the dinner she herself had prepared, and there was added СКАЧАТЬ