HEINRICH HEINE - Repositories

Heinrich Heine
Dante, radiant Shakespeare are beyond controversy,
but bitter spirits still claim Heine and the peace of
his final abode is still poisoned. England remembers
his sharp upbraidings. Perhaps he was right in
arraigning her, but what a pity that his satire came
from a heart devoid of love! For, not by the lightnings
of wit and not by the thunder of scorn, but
by love, the fountain of charm, should a poet seek
to draw the world to his way. The singer abuses
God's gift of song, if he makes it a vehicle of satire,
declaring that the great are hollow and dull, artists
envious, and the mob profane. He should rather
help us forget such barren knowledge. Heine, ever
in the midst of polemics, was probably not happy,
despite his worldly triumphs. Often he must have
longed to escape from hot Paris drawing-rooms,
brilliant crowds, famous men, salon ladies, and
fumes of praise. Often he must have yearned for
the tranquil, cool, far German home of his youth.
He must have seen himself, young and carefree,
journeying in May along the Harz Mountains,
climbing up to the Brocken to enjoy the sunset,
or romping down the valley of the Use at dawn,
fresh and vigorous and smiling. Years before him,
Goethe too had been at the Harz in the ferment of
youth and had left it for a life of creative work.
[72]