登陆注册
5196200000068

第68章

GOETHE'S VISITS.

Taking leave of his ducal friend, Goethe betook himself the street, to commence his visits. Going first to Chodowiecki, the renowned delineator and engraver, whose fame had already spread throughout Germany. When Goethe entered, the artist was busy in his atelier, working upon the figures of the characters in the "Mimic," the latest work of Professor Engel. "Master," said he, smilingly, extending him his hand, "I have come to thank you for many beautiful, happy hours which I owe to you. You paint with the chisel and poetize with the brush. An artist by God's grace.""If the poet Goethe says that, there must be something in it, "replied Chodowiecki, with a radiant face. "I have to thank you for the most beautiful and best hours of my life, and I am proud and delighted to have been able in the least to return the pleasure. The only blissful tears among many bitter ones that I have wept, were shed over the 'Sorrows of Werther.' 'Gotz von Berlichingen' so inspired me that he appeared to me in my dreams, and left me no peace until I rose in the night to draw Gotz, as he sat talking with brother Martin on the bench in the forest. Wait, I will show you the drawing; you must see it."Goethe examined it attentively, and expressed his pleasure at the correctness and dramatical conception of the design, and did not remark, or perhaps would not, that the artist was busily occupied with crayon and paper. "How wonderfully you have reproduced my 'German Knight,'" cried Goethe, after a long observation of it. "The middle ages entire, proud and full of strength, are mirrored in this figure, and if I had not written 'Gotz von Berlichingen,' I would have been inspired to it, perhaps, from this drawing. Oh! you artists are to be envied. We need many thousand words to express what a few lines represent, and a stroke suffices to change a smiling face into a weeping one. How feeble is language, and how mighty the pencil! I wish I had the talent to be a painter!""And I," cried Chodowiecki, "would throw all my pencils, brushes, and chisels to the devil, or sell him my soul, if I could cope with the genius and intellect of the poet, Wolfgang Goethe. What a man!

What a profile the gods have given him! There! look--have you ever seen a man with such a face?" He handed Goethe the drawing, which proved to be a speaking profile-portrait of himself, dashed off with a few strokes full of genius.

Goethe looked at it with the air of a critic. "It is true," said he, perfectly serious, "there are not many such profiles, but I am not of your opinion that the gods fashioned it. Those sharp features look as if the joiner had cut them out of oak, and they lead me to infer a very disagreeable character. I naturally do not know who the picture represents, but I must tell you, master, that this man could never please me, although I could swear it is a speaking likeness.

This sharp, bowed nose has something impudent, self-sufficient in it. The brow is indeed high, which betokens thought, but the retreating lines prove that the thoughts only commence, and then lose themselves in a maze. The mouth, with its pouting lips, has an insupportable expression of stupid good-nature and sentimentality;and the well-defined, protruding chin might belong to the robber-captain Cartouche. The great wide-open eyes, with their affected passionate glances, prove what a puffed-up dandy the man must be, who perhaps imagines all the women in love with his face. No, no, Iam still of the opinion that the original could never please me, and if the physiognomist Lavater should see it, he would say: 'That is the portrait of a puffed-up, quaint, powerful genius, who imagines himself something important, and who is nothing! The likeness of a bombastic fellow, with an empty head behind the pretentious brow, and meaningless phrases on the thick lips.'""If Lavater says so, he is a fool and an ass," cried Chodowiecki, furiously, "and he can hide himself in the remotest corner of the earth. Lichtenberg of Gottingen is quite right when he says that this empty-headed Lavater has made himself ridiculous throughout Germany with his wonderful physiognomy of dogs' tails and his profiles of unknown pigtails. If Lavater is really so narrow-minded as not to be able to distinguish a crow from an eagle, it is his own affair; but he shall never presume to look at this portrait, and you, too, are not worthy, you scorner, that I should get angry with you. The likeness is so beautiful that Jupiter himself would be satisfied to have it imputed to him. It is so like, that you need not pretend you do not know that it represents Wolfgang Goethe. As you insult it, and regard it with scorn and contempt, I will destroy it.""For mercy's sake do not tear it," cried Goethe, springing toward Chodowiecki, and holding him fast with a firm grasp. "My dear good man, do not tear it; it would be like splitting my own head.""Ah, ah!" shouted Chodowiecki. "you acknowledge the likeness?""I do acknowledge it, with joy."

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 带着军团异界游

    带着军团异界游

    当一个退伍的特种兵李天,准备玩一款新时代的游戏的时候,却被意外的卷入了穿越的潮流中,带着这款战国军团的游戏一起来到了一个混乱的王国中。一个落魄的将门之子,因为意外,灵魂跟李天得到了融合,而李天也接着这次的穿越,以及伴随着他的战国军团游戏,在这个混乱的国度开始了新的人生……
  • 死玉邪匠

    死玉邪匠

    不能拨打的电话号码、不能独自进入的山洞、不能接受的礼物、不能打开的盒子、不能观看的视频……我就是不明白为什么明明告诉了你有些事情不能做,有些人还是不听话,非要作死不可。可是他们犯错了,并不代表他们应该受到惩罚。没有办法我只能给他们收拾烂摊子,谁叫我是花样作死的冠军呢?
  • 虫出江湖

    虫出江湖

    她是一个精灵,在江湖中不追名,不追利,只追自由;他是一片流云,恣意游荡江湖,不沾一尘;他是一匹骏马,向往驰骋江湖,却被命运束缚。三人因一颗复国至宝“龙血丹”被牵在了一起,纵然时常嬉笑怒骂,尝遍了酸甜苦辣,他们仍无悔相识于江湖……
  • 体玄真人显异录

    体玄真人显异录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 羽林恩召观御书王太

    羽林恩召观御书王太

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神豪猴马月

    神豪猴马月

    猴马月带着对长生不老的执着追求踏上变强道路之时,却意外的发现了长生不老的秘密。最终成了左右光明与黑暗的执掌大佬。并自创了长春不老功与传音搜魂大法……
  • 在夹缝中生存

    在夹缝中生存

    本书阐述了适者生存、生存智慧、处事与做人、生存与尊严、在逆境中崛起、突出重围、永不言败、在夹缝中求生存等生存哲理和指导方法。
  • 魔兽战神3:战神苍龙

    魔兽战神3:战神苍龙

    少年战无命偶得前世的战神记忆,自魔兽森林杀出,手持天辰棍,座下玄冥虎,冲向那五彩缤纷的武者世界。他炼真丹,控魔兽,抓傀儡,败尽各界天骄,一步步走上武道巅峰。战无命将踏在自己的肩膀上,超越自我。无论为人、为灵、为兽、为仙、为神,他定要突破天道,掌我运程,控我命魂。战无命发誓,即使拼却魂飞魄散,也要消灭一切曾经陷害自己、背叛自己、出卖自己的人。他一路遇神杀神,遇魔杀魔,纵横三界六道,成就最强魔兽战神!
  • 逸园深深夏迟暮

    逸园深深夏迟暮

    【这世间总有那么一个人,她会打破你的原则,改变你的习惯,成为你的例外。】十八岁的她任性可爱,蔷薇刺一般冒冒失失地扎进他心里,然而理智告诉他左氏需要的绝不是一个不懂世事的捣蛋鬼,他要用自己的方式将她回炉改造,改造成一个能与他比肩的女人。命运很及时地给了他试炼她的机会,尽管对她而言很有点残忍。她带了一身的才学归来,他等着她来收拾一切,包括他自己,他已经等了很久。然而时间没有给予她万丈雄心,她依旧是那个不肯开化的小女子。失去的,她已经淡然接受,不去争取,她只考虑眼前可把握的。一往情深的青梅竹马,步步紧逼的世家子弟……她为他们愁,她对他们笑。她的眼里心里已经没有了他!他知道自己错了!他不但没有改变她,反过来她却改变了他!她将一向稳如泰山的他变成了一个成天心惊胆颤醋海翻腾的可笑男人!情根已然深种,枉然拨出来,他的心不但要生生疼出一个洞,还会死!放手已不可能,唯一能做的,是将她留在身边,不管用何种方法,威逼、利诱、魅惑……他说:恨吗?那就去夺回来。她摇头笑,目光里一派清透澄明。他恨铁不成钢:你这没心没肺的小东西!人世间最远的距离就是——我在你身边,你却不知道我爱你。
  • 哈尔姆斯中短篇小说集

    哈尔姆斯中短篇小说集

    本书是哈尔姆斯创作巅峰时期的作品汇编,前30篇均来自他最有名的短篇小说集《意外》,第31篇是广为流传的中篇作品《老太婆》,其余四篇则选自他手稿中的情色小短篇。这部作品可以看作是了解、认识哈尔姆斯最好的起点,它短小精悍、幽默诙谐,充满了梦境一样的碎片。有日式漫画中的夸张与无稽,也有暴力与笑料。从题目《意外》就可以看出,整本书就是一个个生活中不经意间发生的故事,主人公们或坠落、或碰撞、或对视、或猝死。