friend, O. L. B. Wolff, who wrote: "Pardon, c'est un génie allemand, qui a le talent d'être aussi un génie français, quand cela lui plait." Eminent Frenchmen always recognized that Heine loved Germany with all his heart; and when Alexandre Dumas père heard of the petty calumnies with which Heine's countrymen persecuted the poet, he wrote: "If Germany does not want Heine, we shall willingly adopt him as one of us; but Heine loves Germany much more than she deserves to be loved." Jules Janin also narrates that Heine always vehemently defended Germany when conversing with Frenchmen, and that he never permitted any foreigner to defame his native land in his presence. A proof of this is the fact that, in the beginning of May, 1837, Heinrich Heine fought a duel with a young French scientist, in consequence of a dispute concerning Germany. The quarrel began, as the Parisian papers reported at the time, in a café, where some offensive allusions to German manners had been made. Heine, although the remarks did not in any way refer to himself, felt personally insulted as a German, and gave to the Frenchman, who had uttered them a rather severe punishment, which led to a challenge and ended in a duel with pistols, in which two balls were exchanged on each side. To anyone who has read Heine's complete works, such proofs of Heine's patriotism are scarcely necessary, for what can possibly be more thoroughly German than the whole "Book of Songs"? The sentiment that pervades it comes from the very depths of a German heart; and even the defects that may be attributed to some of Heine's poems, such as too great a melancholy and an idealism. occasionally approaching to sentimentalism, are decidedly German characteristics. Moreover, there occur again and again passages in Heine's writings in which he distinctly expresses his love for his country. We need only cite his witty poem, entitled "Germany," the first canto of which begins with: In the mournful month of November 'twas, The winter days had returnèd ; The wind from the trees the foliage tore, * Translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring, the best of the translators of Heine after the American translator Charles G. Leland. And when at length to the frontier I came Within my breast, tears filled my eyes, And when I the German language heard, and which ends with: Since I on Germany's ground have trod, I'm pervaded by magical juices, The giant has touched his mother once more, The best proof, however, of Heine's attachment to his native country is, perhaps, that although he resided in France during twentyfive years, he never became naturalized, and for those who, after all that has been said, may still question Heine's patriotism, we quote the following words of Heine that will settle this point definitively. In volume X, page 180, of his Complete Works," the poet says: 66 "With respect to that which people usually call patriotism, I have remained a freethinker; but a certain shudder always comes over me when I am asked to do anything that in the least approaches to a denial of my native country. It would be a horrible thought to me—the thought of a madman—if I had to say to myself that I am a German poet, but nevertheless a naturalized Frenchman. I should appear to myself like one of those monstrosities with two heads which are shown in market fairs. It would be insupportable to me, when composing poetry, to think that one head might scan the most unnatural alexandrines in French turkeycock-pathos, while the other poured forth my feelings in the national meter peculiar to the German language. No, the sculptor who has to ornament my last resting-place with an inscription, shall not expose himself to be accused of an untruth when he cuts into the stone the words: 'Here lies a German Poet.'" Yes, Heine was a German at heart-and now, after having become acquainted with his sentiments and ideas in general, let us return to F the poet's life and cast a glance at his last years, during which his originality and brilliancy of mind manifested themselves so powerfully, and which are undoubtedly the most remarkable of his life. It will be of no special interest to the public at large to be made acquainted with all the details of Heine's life; we shall therefore confine ourselves to those points which are necessary to familiarize the reader with the general character of the poet, which is the main object of this essay. We have mentioned Heine's native city Düsseldorf, and the date of his birth, the 13th of December, 1799; we have spoken of his youth and his Jewish parentage, respecting which the reader will find abundant details in the "Memoirs; " and we have also mentioned that, after having finished his university studies, he, for political reasons, decided to leave Germany and to go to Paris, where, after the year 1831, he had his domicile. Previously to this he had resided a short time in Berlin, and traveled some months in England and Italy. |